


Flatline: Reborn

by dragonNMR, Secretsivekept



Series: Flatline Series [2]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, M/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-03-08 06:04:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 120,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13452081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonNMR/pseuds/dragonNMR, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Secretsivekept/pseuds/Secretsivekept
Summary: Rewrite of the original Flatline!Be warned, many things have changed in this version of the story and something have not. We hope you enjoy the rewritten version! Please be aware of the warnings this story is rated mature, there will be romance both F/M and M/M, violence, and other horrors that come with the blood.





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Flatline](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10801161) by [dragonNMR](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonNMR/pseuds/dragonNMR), [Secretsivekept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Secretsivekept/pseuds/Secretsivekept). 



> Chapter one is basically the same with some edits.

* * *

 

Sobs echoed in the dark night, haunting, resonating among the trees.

A small boy, crying with pain and fear, pushed past leaves and branches as tears streamed down his face. His arm burned yet there were no flames, only blood. Two gaping holes left him throbbing, a deadly venom igniting his veins and slowly spreading the blaze throughout his body. Seeping, clawing, racking through his muscles, through his blood.

Trees loomed over his head, casting dark shadows over the ground that resembled claws—no, _fangs_. Cruel dark fangs that flashed momentarily white in his eyes.

Feet tripped over feet and his small body was suddenly sprawled over the ground, his teeth clacking together painfully. He lay there, trembling as he felt the toxins creep into his legs, blistering anguish and rendering them immobile. The boy whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain increased with each second, spreading to every corner of his body till it was consumed by the blaze.

Each beat of his heart grew ever lethargic, slowing, drawing closer to a halt.

He began to gasp for air. The fire had reached his lungs and it was suffocating him, smothering him in heat and pain with each breath he took, till his world was nothing but agony.

Blue eyes dimmed as they stared at the churned soil before his nose, fallen leaves stirred slightly by each slowing breath. The movement was almost trance like.

The world was fading, growing duller by the second in the weak dappling of moonlight. His mind was spinning into a void of darkness, cool and welcoming to his scorching body. Promising relief. Promising to free him from the pain.

The boy’s lungs released their final breath and welcomed the darkness, allowing it to fully embrace him.

Darkness. Peace. Silence.

Time held no place, no sway. Flowing ever indifferent as the tree leaves rustled above apathetic to the small body below, still among the silent woods.

The moon arced above, time passed and dawn hastened to the cusp of the world.

Eyes fluttered open just as the world seemed to breathe once more.

Red.

Blistering red shining in the dim light of dawn.

He gasped.

An impulse and it felt… utterly wrong.

Empty. No reaction. No stirring deep in his chest.

Only the powerful taste of the earth, of the wind and leaves. Other strange scents and tastes assaulting his palate for the first time, like he had never tasted before. Like he had never known what it was like to actually smell.

His ears were suddenly bombarded with the sounds of the forest. Every chirp became a screech, every rustle a roar, and every movement was deafening. The boy clenched his eyes, clamping his hands over his ears in an effort to drown out the clamoring noise.

And then there was silence and it came not from the world, but from the stillness in his own chest.

No heartbeat.

No heat. No flushing through his veins.

No breath, no urge to fill his lungs. Only the echo of a habit.

He felt nothing but one thing.

The burning. The insatiable fire clawing at his throat forcing him to swallow and taste his dry mouth.

A sharp pain on his tongue made the boy freeze with uncertainty. He slowly ran his tongue over his teeth and was met with a sharpness, wicked and cold. He removed a hand from the side of his head and lifted his nervous fingers to his mouth, pushing past his clenched lips and confirming with his touch what he had just felt brush against his tongue.

_No!_

He couldn’t believe it.

_No!_

He _wouldn’t_ believe it.

_No! No! NO!_

In a panic, the boy sprang to his feet and began to run. Sharp teeth glistened in his mind, cruel and smiling just under orbs of hellish red. Then they flashed and the memory of pain returned, sinking into his skin, sharp and suddenly followed by a strange lulling sweetness that tried to calm the nerves in his body. But fear was sharper.

And in that flash, he recalled small hands clawing forward, raking pointlessly down that shadowy face. But the teeth did not let go.

A child’s scream growing muffled, whistling through the air and… remembered something cold, hard, pressing against his tongue. The clenching thunder taking his jaw as he bit down past skin into the forearm of his attacker and then the heat of blood dribbling, smearing against his teeth, between his gums. The metallic taste sharp against his tongue.

Then running.

Darkness.

_Death._

Then… not dead. But not alive. And the boy knew it. He knew what he was.

A voice haunting and familiar, echoing in the black. Stern and unyielding, urgent and harsh.

_Remember, son. Vampires are death, whoever they may have been before is gone. Nothing in them is human anymore. And it is your duty, ours, to end them. No matter what._

Sobs wracked from the boy’s chest as his feet carried him further and further away. The forest was a blur as his feet, powered by an unearthly force, reached new speeds.

Brown suddenly shot into view, breaking the shafts of weak morning light.

The sounds echoed, a rhythmic beating, a pulsing. Singing so sweetly to his ears.

And some reaction, primal and new had his mouth watering, salivating in an instant. His mind sharpening, focused as the world seemed to slow into focus.

A small fawn was before his vision, its light steps trembling the earth ever so slightly. The weakest of vibrations running through the soil and to him.

The boy meant to slow, but his eyes suddenly glowed red as hot coals. His stomach clenched and burned with flames of insatiable hunger, rising fire to his throat till he felt more parched than he recalled possible and his fangs unsheathed, ready to strike.

And action became reaction.

Without thought his feet carried him to his new goal. To the new desire only decided moments ago without his consent.

The distance between them closed and he was lunging, some strange energy he was unaware of carrying his through the air. The heat was palatable as his face inched near, the sound growing louder. Calling.

He gasped, his mouth open wide and a strange sensation rushed into his mouth as his teeth bit down, snapping tight to the fragile neck. That pulse was suddenly his entire world, thrumming against the cold of his teeth only to be washed with heat.

Taste bloomed, surged anew against his tongue yet some sense of dissatisfaction clicked in his brain. But it did not stop him from swallowing the first gulp.

The fawn struggled and let out a horrifying squeal, peeling against his ears.

Why didn’t he flinch? There was no urge to, no guilt, no horror for causing pain. No human reaction. Only the satisfaction of the catch, of the thirst soon to be sated.

The boy held fast, small hands gripping at anything in reach with an uncontained strength. Not even realizing as the sound of bones snapped, pinched under his fingers and then echoed in the air followed by another cry.

And yet no other reaction came but to feed.

More sweet liquid poured from the wound, and the impulse strengthened till he drank greedily and unaware. Dazed into a calming and almost peaceful stupor, honed by savage desire.

He drank, swallow after swallow. Losing track, not even realizing when the forest had grown quiet and the beast had stilled before his body against the bed of leaves and grass. There was silence, the absence of the succulent sound that had driven him.

The slow seeping of heat in favor of a colder embrace, now echoing under his own skin.

The boy did not move until the corpse before him was sucked dry and nothing more than a dried-out husk of flesh. He sucked at the wound hoping to tease the last few, delicious drops from the creature before slowly sitting up when nothing more came to his lips.

The burning hunger, though not completely satisfied, had calmed somewhat. The urge to feed slowly drifted from his mind, and he was left with the reality that lay before him.

Horror slowly dawned on the boy as he stared at the broken creature before him. Its limbs were askew and its neck torn up, flesh savagely riveted and matted dark with the blood he had spilled.

The sickening urge to hurl climbed up his throat till he was left tense and staring. Yet nothing surged up and neither did he feel bloated with what he had just consumed. Again, no physical reaction, only his mind reeling with the desire it fought to have from his body. Yet his body did not respond to it meekly.

Sobs wracked his chest once more, horror and shame flooding through his being. He wrapped his arms around his chest in a faux attempt to comfort himself.

The sunlight peeking through the trees, though weak, caused the boy to squint painfully. He buried his face in his arms, both to shield himself from the light and to hide his shame. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and hide under the blankets, but going home meant going back to his family as… a freak. _A monster_ . He could still feel it, the craving of blood, though not from just a mere animal. In his mind’s eye he saw those flashing teeth once more and shuddered. He didn’t dare go back home. Not as a monster—he could get his family killed… or they would kill _him_. That’s what his father did, wasn’t it? Hunt vampires?

It was a horrid, cold and empty feeling when the boy realized that he could never return home, not like this. His sobs slowly turned to sniffles as he sat there, hugging his knees to his chest and his face buried in his arms.

The sun, the boy sensed, was almost fully risen above the horizon and with it came a brightness seemingly too much to bear. Its blazing heat warmed the world, bringing displeasure and discomfort to the child.

A sudden… _coolness_ , almost like a breeze but more like a shiver down his spine made the boy look up, squinting in a certain direction.

He stood and ventured in the direction of the breeze, keeping to the darkest shades of the trees in his path. He didn’t keep track of the time but soon it got cooler, the trees denser till the forest floor was mantled in twilight.

He paused as a sharp metallic scent hit his nose, something almost akin to the smell of blood but not blood.

Rust.

The underbrush around him was strewn, old and dead in the overgrown area, hiding something just below the surface. Some kind of metallic arch was barely visible below the foliage, weathered by rain and wind, tarnished to a pale grey and rusting browns.

Yet it caught his attention.

Carefully he approached the mass of bushes. His hands grabbed some of the gnarled old limbs and when he tugged they snapped as though they were brittle and dead, not alive and covered with leaves.

Disturbed by his sudden strength, he tossed the broken branch aside and kept his gaze focused on the strangely shaped oddity deep in the forest. He ripped more branches aside from the shrub, finding it too easy to do but he tried not to dwell on the fact.

He was just relieved to be in the shade, away from the sunlight that stung his eyes.

Finally, concrete steps were revealed sinking into the earth to an old rusted door.

It was dark, and the overgrown vines covering the pathway suggested it had been long abandoned.

His short legs buckled as he followed the steep steps down.

The boy lifted his hands and pushed on the door but it did not budge. Gritting his teeth, he put a little more back into the effort till divots sunk into the metal around his hands and a sharp screeching sound echoed in the air. Metal scraping concrete. After a few tries, the door finally swung open noisily and with much complaint.

A cold gust sighed past the old door, ominous and rank with mildew, draping him with its embrace. Inside it was dark and moist… and perfect. He tiptoed inside, his eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness like a second instinct, a blessed relief from the blinding light of the sun.

The emptiness of the room echoed his footsteps and the darkness seemed to chasm out endlessly, echoing each sound like a whisper.

Empty.

Hungry.

 _Alone_.

 


	2. November 4th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some minor edits in this chapter but not a great deal of change.

* * *

 

It was the dead of night. The moon was a sliver of light in the sky, which was speckled with stars that shone like lucid dust on black velvet. Street lights hummed and flickered occasionally, lighting up empty roads with an orange glow.

A sudden movement, hardly noticeable to the naked eye, only slightly disturbed the peace of the sleeping town. A shadowy figure was racing towards one of the buildings, silent as though he were made of nothing but wind. With powerful legs the figure sprung into the air, vaulting high until he landed on the roof of the building, hardly making any noise. Then, without missing a beat, took off on the roof, vaulting from building to building and nearing ever closer to the center of the small town.

A sudden commotion made the figure stop, breaking his momentum easily as he hid amongst the shadows behind a large billboard. Nine young adults were walking down the street, laughing with each other and goofing around, having obviously come from a place of partying and drinking.

The eyes of the shadowy figure were drawn to a certain girl with hair the shade of pink carnations. Out of all of them, she was by far the most energetic and high spirited. She skipped ahead of the others, her smile radiant and full of life.

Full of life. Love. Company. The figure’s eyes drooped, his mood souring in the few moments he’d been standing there. Jealousy didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling.

Memories of his childhood friend played cruelly in his mind’s eye, taunting him with the life he knew he would never have again.

Even though time had stopped for his heart it had not for his body, and though he too had grown it wasn’t the same. Not even close.

Poppy paused in her skipping to stand under the spotlight of a street lamp, her smile fading a little as she turned her head in his direction.

The figure quickly ducked behind the billboard, realizing he’d been staring for far too long. He quickly raced to the other side of the building and pushed off the edge, vaulting over the alley on the other side and landing on the next roof over, putting as much distance as he could from himself and Poppy. He was lucky he hadn’t caught their scents, he never got close enough to do so… the scent of a human is not so easily ignored.

Especially when one was as hungry as Branch.

Branch pushed his powerful legs and hopped over building after building before finally throwing himself into a dark alleyway right across the street from a hospital clinic. A long familiar sight over the years.

He dug out a rock from his tattered jean pocket and he narrowed his eyes, letting them focus far beyond what normal humans were capable of. He slowly drew back his arm and flung it forward, letting it soar through the air and hit its mark. The security camera was shattered in an instant, and Branch took this moment to quickly speed across the road and to the side of the building where a door was. He quickly tugged on the handle, the lock snapping in his grasp allowing the door to swing open. He dove inside, wary of being spotted.

Normally he wouldn’t be so tactless in his measures to get inside the building, but his desperation for food clouded his mind and made him rash in his decision making. Not to mention his usual equipment was out of commission at the moment and he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. 

He crept along the dark pristine hallways, knowing these halls like the back of his hand. A few more steps and a few more tugged open doors and Branch found himself where he needed to be. He opened the doors to the cold storage room and—

_Gone!_

Branch stared at the empty shelves, once filled with bags of blood donations but now completely empty. He stepped inside the room, opening up his senses to see if there was anything left, anything at all…

There was nothing.

Not even bags of useless plasma.

His stomach screamed, his throat burned, begging to be sated. He _needed_ to feed.

He quickly left the cold storage and paused just outside, wondering what he should do instead. Vaguely, he recalled seeing a glimpse of a newspaper detailing a bus crash just outside the city the other day. The few blood donations the hospital received must have all gone to that, Branch realized. Irritation mixed with guilt stabbed him, though quickly he tried to think of what to use instead of human blood to feed on.

Deer, though not particularly satisfying, would have to suffice for now until more blood was donated. No animal could ever compare to the human blood he needed and craved.

Branch quickly retraced his steps, slinking quietly out the hospital without being spotted. He hid in the shadows of an alleyway, covering up his nose with his sleeve. The stench of humans was becoming increasingly more prominent the hungrier he grew, and being in the center of town where they were _everywhere_ didn’t help him in the least. Branch lunged, kicking off from one wall and back to another in long vaults till he was on the rooftops again.

He landed easily on the rooftop with a soft thud, facing east and stood tall.

The cool autumn wind softly blew into his long hair, momentarily blocking his vision. Annoyed he brushed the few strands of hair out his face that had escaped his short ponytail. He took off running once more, in the direction of a vast ocean of autumnal woodland. In a matter of seconds he was leaping off the roof of the furthest building from town and rushing across a field of grass faster than the eye could see, vanishing into the old growth within moments.

Yet there was no exhilaration to the feeling, only the violent sensation of the wind tearing past him like it was nothing.

As shade dappled him the security of the familiar place eased his tension a little but not by much, not till he was sure he was miles away from the smallest scent of human civilization.

Once he was about a mile deep into the hardwood and conifer forest Branch slowed his pace to a walk, neither out of breath nor his energy spent from running so fast and so far. He trekked about another mile just feeling the soil and stones shifting under the soles of his feet.

A sharp scent, one that he had grown very accustomed to, filled his nostrils. His pace quickened and he approached a large dark mass about ten yards away.

A buck was caught in a tangle of ropes, panting hard and obviously exhausted from struggling against the thick cords. Branch approached the buck caught in his trap, his eyes dilating and flashing red for a moment.

Sensing his approach, the buck’s ears swiveled around towards him, stiffening. Its nostrils flared and started to strain against the ropes again, kicking at the rutted soil, seeking to get away from the danger.

Branch swallowed, his throat begging him to sink his teeth into the deer but he hesitated for just a moment. Pity swelled in his stomach as he watched the struggling deer that would soon become prey, sympathizing for a moment on its plight.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, he shook his head and allowed the ravenous instinct to flood through his body. His eyes blazed red and he lunged towards the creature, letting speed consume him along with the drive to feed.

His body broke through the ropes and his hands pinned the beast to the ground, tossing earth and debris into the air. It was an old routine, numbing, and his curved fangs met their mark.

The deer’s thrashing grew weaker and weaker until finally it lay still, growing cold. Branch sat there with his teeth embedded into the creature’s neck for a little while longer, drinking every last drop the large body had to offer.

Finally, Branch sat up wiping his mouth. The thick blood smeared his cheeks and across the back of his hand, which he wiped on his shirt.

He glanced down at the broken ropes and picked one up, inspecting the ripped end and the other undamaged ropes. He’d have to fix the trap and set it up again, making him sigh at his own haste but the starvation had left little room for consideration to the ropes.

Standing up he gathered the frayed ropes and the whole ones and unhooked the stake from the soil by the roots of the tree while contemplating the fate of the carcass. It only took a few moments before he decided he would lug it back and skin it for the usual supplies he needed and dispose of the meat.

It didn't take him long before he had the rope in a hoop in one hand and with strength that was too easy, grabbed the buck’s front legs and toss the body over his shoulder, letting half the burden drag across the forest floor behind him as he hauled it back home.

An hour walking he listened to the woods around him, checking traps he had set along the path home. Before long the familiar scents of his home washed over his senses and made his steps a little more eager.

Soon the overgrown part of the forest was visible that he easily recognized. Clustered trees muddled the light of the moon and thick shrubs and vines grew on the back of the bunker, now covered in compact soil with its own grass and bushes. Completely hidden from sight.

Pulling some branches aside from the entrance he tossed the rope onto the pavement stairs before turning away again.

Another half hour walking he heard the stream long before he saw it and could smell the clear gurgling waters dancing over stones. As it came into sight he veered to the right and down the long trodden pathway of river stones as the water cut into the earth and into a ravine.

Soon the stone walls curved up into the sky and he was beneath an outcrop perfectly protected from the rain. His short row of tanning racks was there waiting for him as he paused and took a closer look with his keen eyes in the dark. His old makeshift gutting table stood against the stone wall, stump for a seat, a handmade wood box on the floor, several wooden buckets…

Everything was untouched and no new scents lingered in the air, only his own, albeit faded.

_Good._

He set out to work, tossing the drained beast on the table which didn’t even creak with the weight.

It was grueling work, and it smelled foul as he took the usual routine to cut the deer open and clean it of its innards, saving what he needed and dumping the rest in one of the buckets he had made.

As he worked he went over the hunting and pelting guide books in his mind that he had read long ago and the hours easily passed him by as he cleaned the skin last and set out the horns and largest bones to dry away from his workspace. He went out to the forest next to bury the remains. On his return he set out the new skin to dry, tying it fast with leather strips from his box of tools and supplies which he tucked beneath a bush again when he was done.

By the time the sky was turning a light purple he knew he he only had about an hour before it got too bright.

He set out to clean his knife and other tools and took the moment to also wash his clothes that now reeked of bile and blood. 

Branch stripped his clothes off his body, a pair of tattered jeans and an old bluish grey hoodie that he’d stolen from a donations box, and dunked them in the flowing cold water, rinsing them as best he could. Once they were as clean as he could make them, he set them out on the stones on the shore to dry, then went back to the stream and, stripping his underwear, stepped in himself to bathe.

He untied the leather strap holding up his shoulder length hair and let it fall down in matted clumps as he tied the band around his wrist. He waded in, feeling the icy water swell around him as he submerged his body.

He rinsed himself off with his hands and scrubbed his scalp to the best of his ability. He submerged his head a few times, sometimes staying underneath the water for long periods of time.

Air was no issue for him, as he didn’t need to breathe, a sensation that had long ago stopped being frightening. Instead he relished in the soft rushing of the water caressing his head and that hummed a calming sound in his ears, almost as if death was possible again but peaceful.

Eventually he emerged again from the water and clambered ashore, dripping like a wet rag. His clothes were still damp, but drier than before and he put them on and tied up his still-wet hair. The light of the sun was growing brighter by the minute, and already Branch needed to squint to see properly.

He went over to the rack of dried deer skins and removed the fully dried pelts, rolled them up and threw them under his arm. He briskly walked back to the little path of stones that led away from the ravine, making his way back to his bunker at last.

As he picked up the pace he thought of home.

Branch’s bunker, the place he had called his home ever since he’d first discovered it when he was seven, was what he’d deduced to be an old abandoned military bunker. It went deep underground and had many rooms he had explored inside and out. Many of these rooms he had filled with supplies and tools, but otherwise most remained empty.

As he arrived he opened the poor old dented steel door he had repaired too many times to count. It creaked and swayed on its hinges easily now and the light in the hallways flickered on automatically. He had rigged and repaired the wiring a long time ago even with fail safes.

Stepping in he bolted the door tight behind him with the hatch before slipping further down the hallway. It was a good twenty feet down on a steep incline.

As he reached the bottom he could feel the floor level out under his bare feet along with his body. Branch turned off the hallway lights and flickered another switch and the lights of the bunker lit up.

It was a quiet razzling sound of electricity going through the old lightbulbs and somewhere deep in the cement fortress he could hear the electric generator humming. He reminded himself to check how it was doing on fuel, not that he was worried, he had an entire shelf lined with gas tanks in one of the rooms. 

He passed the computer room first, the old desk inside had computers from a different age that had long since rotted and there were no parts to fix them. Not that they probably would be of any use outdated as they were. The satellite equipment was intact and fixed, but again, useless at the moment with his laptop out of commission after finally dying after years of abuse and use. He needed to get a new one, it was on his list of top priority tasks after feeding. He couldn’t afford to keep breaking security cameras, hacking them was a lot safer.

He kept walking.

The other rooms with steel doors were almost a counting game as he walked down the hallway and he knew which were empty and which were not.

He stopped finally by a door slightly open and walked in, turning on the lights and his workroom was washed in the yellow artificial glow. His desk and tools illuminated by the dusty light and his eyes looked at the shelf lined with books he had snatched over the years through a library window.

Tossing the dry pelts in an old wood crate he decided he would cut them later. Right now he felt dead tired and the silence of the vast chambers echoed out to him, mentally draining him unlike the subtle sounds of the woods.

Leaving his personal space behind he turned off the lights and closed the door, returning to his pacing down the long corridor. He paused by the old bathroom, only briefly glancing inside at the other old rusted pipes and sink, the stained mirror, the compact metal shower, and the excuse for a toilet that was just a bowl of metal one might find in a prison, no top to keep the smell down. The other bathrooms were broken, the one by his room was the only one he had managed to fix. The underways below the bunker where the pipes ran and wires went through was a crammed and unthankful place.

He closed the door to the restroom and only a few more steps down he was finally before his room and turned off the lights of the hallway, sinking his world in darkness which he could navigate by touch and smell alone if he had to. The power had gone out more than once.

Opening the door he was greeted by the small room with a bunkbed and a desk on the other end where the current book he was reading was open to the last page he had left it on.

Without bothering to turn on the lights he walked in and sunk into the old foul smelling mattress that was only springs and a thin layer of cotton. The metal coils whined as he flopped down along the length of the bed and tossed his feet up and rested his head against the squished pillow.

Closing his eyes his mind wandered while sleep eluded him.

He thought of what he would do when he woke up, probably more of the same. His throat still burned. While his body was momentarily satisfied the hunger still gnawed at the back of his mind and he absently wondered if it could ever be satisfied? It never had been as long as he could remember… but then again, that was more or less on purpose.

He had always restrained himself, stopped before he could drown the sensation of hunger to death, afraid of what it might bring out of him. Make him...more of a vampire.

Gritting his teeth he rolled over on his side, the springs screeching in his sensitive ears, echoing back to him from the compact cement walls.

The pangs of hunger meant he was alive, in some distorted way. Struggling with the urge to completely satisfy that macabre desire meant to Branch that there was still a part of him that was human. That there was still some hope to his cursed fate.

Should he completely give in to that desire and gorge himself till he was full…? Would it deaden the desire to hunt prey even for a moment? To hunt humans? To let him even have a glimpse, a moment among them again? Or would filling his stomach make him less of a human and more...more like a monster? He didn’t know what might happen if he did and had no wish to take that chance.

And so the hunger had remained with him for years. Branch had stolen an occasional newspaper here and there from his few visits to town, mostly to check on the date. To count the years that had gone by. So far, that terrible hunger had stayed with Branch for twelve years.

Twelve years. Alone. Hungry.

From the newspaper he had looked at a few days ago he recalled the date at the corner. November the first, it had read. So that would mean today was November the fourth.

_November fourth…_

Branch’s eyes flew wide open.

Tomorrow was his brother’s birthday.

Branch slowly sat up, the springs complaining but he paid them no mind. He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the light switch, flicking it on and lighting the room in an orange glow. He walked over to his desk and opened one of his drawers, taking out a small green wallet.

Branch sat down in the wicker chair, slowly opening the wallet, its exterior scuffed and scratched from the years. The licence on the inside bore the image of an older woman whose perfectly permed hair and warm smile still gave Branch a feeling of bittersweetness. Inside the wallet were a collection of small photographs of him and his brother, some baby pictures and others more recent to the time he’d last seen his brother.

He stared at his brother’s nine year old face.

That picture had been taken a mere month before everything in his life had gone downhill… Branch had just turned seven in that picture. His grandma had put the two of them in goofy party hats and were sitting before a large birthday cake with some ninja turtles on it. There were some other children in the background, also smiling at the camera, but the focus was on the two boys.

A week before his brother’s tenth birthday, just a month after Branch’s birthday, their father had unexpectedly shown up to take his older brother off to some… boot camp or something. Branch could never recall what it was exactly. It had been the first time they had been separated, and it had hurt more than anything to say goodbye. The two had only grown closer ever since they had gone to live with their grandmother when Branch was about five. In fact, he remembered this brother being a little overprotective of him.

And then… three days after his big brother had left, Branch’s entire world had fallen apart within what had felt like seconds…

...Those red eyes still gave him nightmares.

He snapped the wallet shut, but instead of putting it back in the drawer he pocketed it, keeping it close. Branch got up from his chair and flicked off the light, plunging his room into darkness once more. He clambered back into his hard bed and rolled over, closing his eyes and feeling the slight weight of his grandmother’s wallet in his pocket, bringing him a slight sense of comfort.

The last thought that crossed Branch’s mind before he finally dozed off was of his brother.

_Happy birthday, Thistle._

* * *

  

Poppy wasn’t sure what drew her attention from the current conversation, only that it had felt like eyes were on her head. Under the direct beam of the street light she looked up and _swore_ she saw something move just as the edge of her vision. Then… nothing and all there was, was light shining a little too brightly in her amber eyes.

“—right Poppy? Poppy?”

Poppy quickly turned to Guy, realizing he’d been trying to get her attention as he stood just at the edge of the limelight, making the studded white stones of his shirt’s shoulders gleam faintly.

“Huh? Sorry, was… uh, I thought I saw something.”

“Was it a shooting star?” he smirked, looking up in the same direction.

Poppy snorted.

“If it was, you’d be the first to know, Guy,” she grinned, nudging him in the shoulder. Guy chuckled, glancing at a tall young man standing nearby.

“Well, mates, I dunno about you all but I am _dead_ on my _feet_ ,” the tall young man lazily stretched his arms, draping one over Poppy’s shoulder. “How about we do our usual hug time goodbye and then I’m going to drop this gorgeous young lady off at her house?”

Poppy giggled, her cheeks flushing red.

“Okay everyone, hug time!” she cried, gathering all her friends into the biggest group hug she could muster.  After what felt like an eternity that she didn’t want to ever leave, the hug broke apart and each person began to walk their own separate ways.

“Bye, Satin and Chenille!” Poppy called, “Bye, Biggie! Bye Suki! Bye Cooper! Bye Smidge!!”

“Bye, Poppy!!” all her friends called after her, their waving not as energetic as hers but not lacking in love for their friend.

Poppy glanced at Guy, noticing he was also heading in the opposite direction.

“Aren’t you heading home?” she asked, confused since her friend’s home was located in the same direction she was heading.

“Need to run to the store real quick, there should be a gas station open,” Guy said over his shoulder. “Night, Popps! Night, Creek!”

“Night, talk to you later,” Creek called calmly.

“Yep!” Guy waved before dashing off, disappearing into the night.

Poppy turned around, smiling happily as her boyfriend. Creek draped his arm over her shoulder again and for a moment she observed the shades of his blue to turquoise hair. It had been their thing since high school to dye their hair their “one true colors”. Her friends had all caught on to the trend, but Creek, the peace loving vegetarian, always insisted on the ombre style, claiming his personality was as fluid as the energy that flowed through the universe and into their chakra.

“You know something that _always_ amazes me is your never ending source of energy,” Creek mused as they walked along the street lit sidewalk. “It’s nearly one o’clock in the morning and you’re still acting like you’ve just gotten a sugar high. And we’ve been _dancing_ all night!”

“What can I say, I’m a Corona!” Poppy puffed her chest proudly. “Endless energy is a family trait!”

“Its like you lot have red bull for blood,” Creek joked, and Poppy giggled.

Thereafter silence took hold and she just enjoyed the peace of the moment, sometimes glancing at the feathery purple-blue earring on his right ear. It bore a root chakra symbol that he had explained the meaning of so many times it seemed, until she and everyone else got it right. Just above it cuffing the edge of his ear was a gold band.

She happily watched him, reaching for his hand and his cool fingers entwined with hers instantly on request.

The walk home was short, and five minutes later Creek was kissing her cheek goodnight, leaving her at her doorstep. Poppy unlocked her front door and stepped inside, closing it with her back.

Poppy let out a dreamy sigh.

She was one lucky girl to be in a relationship with a guy like Creek. Though the two hadn’t been dating long, just a mere few weeks, they had known each other since middle school and Poppy couldn’t help feeling anything but calm around him.

The house was quiet, her father having gone to bed a few hours earlier. She quietly crept up the stairs and entered her room, closing the door and flicking on the lights. She grabbed her laptop from her desk and hopped into her large, pink bed still covered in stuffed toy animals that she felt too sentimental towards to give away or even put in a box.

She opened the laptop and clicked open skype. A telltale green button made her smile and she quickly typed in a _‘HELLO’_ in the message box.

Word bubbles appeared, fading in and out as the person on the other end typed in their response..

 _‘Shouldn’t you be in bed?’_ Was the reply. Poppy pouted.

 _‘I’m about to do that, just wanted to check in! How’s life? How’s work? How’s everything? …. Oh and HOW IS THAT BIG ISSUE OF YOURS? Is he still annoying as ever? ;33333_ ’

_‘Poppy… Alright, but go to bed after this! It’s like…..1 AM or something for you.’_

_‘1:35 am to be exact.’_ She typed after a quick glance at the top of her screen.

_‘Not helping your case, Poppy. Lol.’_

‘X’D I know.’

_‘Lol. okay, life’s no different then when you asked me yesterday. 2, work is same old same old. Everything’s okay….? Just sorta wigging out over a gift I need by today! 3….go fish.’_

_‘Wait, gift? Who’s the gift for????’_

_“*sighs* His b-day is on the 5th.You know how he hates it, probably just get him some whisky or something.’_

_‘Awwwwwwww ;m; I’m so sad that he hates his birthday, one’s birthday should always be HAPPY, you know?! ….. But at the same time I kinda get it. :( :( :( :( :( :( :(  MAYBE YOU SHOULD THROW HIM A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY, you know to make him happy about it again!!!!! :D :D_ ’

A row of perpetuals dots followed, then vanished, then popped up again. Then vanished. Poppy stared and finally words popped up and the response was disappointingly short.

_‘You know I can’t do that.’_

_‘It was worth suggesting,’_ Poppy typed back. _‘Ugh…. well tell him I wished him a happy birthday!! And give him a BIG HUG from me, okay? He needs one!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3’_

_‘Lmao. Will do, Poppy. Night.’_

_‘GOODNIGHT ROSE, SWEET DREAMS! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 ;3 :D ^u^’_

_‘Lol, same to you and go detox!!! x’D’_

_‘I hate alcohol but i will go indeed detox from all negative emotions :3 Not that i felt any today lolololol’_

Poppy closed her laptop and set it on her bedside table, smiling contentedly. Her smile faded though when she thought of Rose’s friend, sad about his birthday. And who _wouldn’t_ be? The guy had lost his grandmother _and_ his brother in a car accident not four days before his tenth birthday, of _course_ he would be sore around this time of year.

 _At least Rose listens when I tell her to make his Christmas extra special each year,_ Poppy smiled.

An ache in her chest appeared again though, as she thought about her old classmate whose life had been taken in that terrible accident. She and Branch had been close as kids, ever since he and his brother had moved in with their grandma when she was five. She’d met him in kindergarten and had learned, partly from hearing the adults talk, that their mother had died in a bad accident and their dad had sent them to live with their grandmother. Branch had been a very quiet kid, but Poppy had managed to bring the smile out of him and the two had remained close friends ever since.

That is… until that day happened.

She’d been in second grade and making sparkly stars with her glitter pen instead of doing the actual assignment, when the principal had called the school for an assembly. That had been.. .quite the horrible day for Poppy. The worst day of all days. She could only imagine how his older brother had taken the news. She remembered how inseparable they had been, playing in the school yard alone in the sandbox till she had intervened and befriended them.

Poppy slowly picked up her laptop again and went searching through her files, looking for a particular school photo.

Finally, she found her class photo from second grade and opened it, enlarging the image. The seven year old faces of herself, Biggie, and Suki immediately popped out to her and she smiled, finding Biggie’s old tooth gap to be the most adorable thing. Her eyes drifted to the right, to the young boy sitting next to her in the photo. To his black hair and olive skin, and that toothy grin she had loved so much. A melancholy sigh escaped her.

“You had so much to live for,” she whispered to the picture. “You had a whole life ahead of you and now it’s gone… I hope you’re happy, wherever you are.”

Unfortunately, Poppy had no pictures of Branch’s older brother, nicknamed Thistle, saved. But she thought of him, too. She slowly closed her laptop again and got out of bed to turn out the lights, then jumped back into her cushy blankets and pillows.

Her eyes drooped as sleep began to take her, but one thought crossed her mind and she filled it with as much love as she could muster.

_Happy birthday, Thistle._

 


	3. Life is Sugar Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the _real_ story changes start. Enjoy!

* * *

 

 

Guy had immediately noticed the presence on the rooftops but it had vanished before he could get a look. He had shared a look with Creek which confirmed what Guy needed to do.

It was time to finally track down that fucking rogue, now that it had appeared nearby.

They had been aware of its presence every few weeks in town but it had always stayed far away. Tonight, however, it hadn’t…

That was something that they couldn’t ignore.

After hug time and a brisk excuse, Guy was finally off, dashing in between buildings and with powerful kicks off the walls jumped to the rooftops, landing with a crouch.

He stood up, sniffing the air, his eyes turning red for a moment as he let his senses envelop him.

He caught its scent and it told him several things in an instant, like it was a male, a Turned and… he _stunk._

Guy grimaced.

When was the last time this rogue had taken a bath?!

He dashed forward, tracking the rogue’s powerful stench and it lead him further and further into the town until he found himself at the hospital. Guy paused as he landed on the concrete of the alleyway, approaching the building cautiously.

Glass broke underfoot and made him pause as the sound echoed in his sensitive ears. He looked down, finding the glass and a rock and as he looked up he saw the broken camera. His eyes diverted to the back exit of the clinic that was nearby.

The door was broken open by the hinges, the handle crushed.

Guy grimaced, immediately guessing what this Turned was after. He paused, sniffing carefully, noticing there were two distinct tracks, one leading in and the other leading out. He immediately followed the fresher trail, dashing back onto the roofs.

He noticed one particular thing.

There was no faint smell of blood.

Odd… but then he recalled an earlier bus crash in the week with more than several injured people showing up in the newspaper. He quickly put two and two together.

The scent trail lead him past the edge of town and towards the forest, just as Guy and Creek had assumed.

He paused at the edge of the field, staring into the rogue’s territory for a moment.

Guy suddenly raced into the woods, shooting easily between the trees as the scent became fresher and fresher in his nose even in the autumn smells of rot and mold.

A sound, like a pained low wail, suddenly cut into the night. Guy’s ears pricked and he turned towards the noise.

A deer. The smell of fresh blood was in the air, not half a mile away.

He slowed, keeping his distance downwind but as he rounded a bend and finally caught sight of the damn rogue.

The rogue was feeding on a buck, oblivious to Guy’s presence as it sucked greedily and desperately. His clothes were in tatters and his hair… good god, his hair couldn’t even be _considered_ a rat’s nest, it was so filthy and matted.

How long had he been alone?

That thought made Guy’s chest prick with pain and he stared at the rogue with pity.

It was not uncommon for Turneds to completely separate themselves out of fear of what they had become, but that in itself often had dire consequences and made them easy targets to their one enemy.

At least this Turned was smart enough to steal from the blood bank, but if Guy could guess, he reasoned the Turned hadn’t ever fed from a human.

Typical. That meant there was a greater risk of it slipping up.

Guy made sure his body was well hidden behind a tree and that he stayed downwind, staring at the Turned as he fell deep in thought. The Turned was obviously going to need more than just deer’s blood to survive. It was just part of his nature.

What to do with him…?

Should he bring him in? Should he try to capture him? Should he leave him alone?

No, to leave him alone was unwise; he was obviously getting more desperate and sooner or later he was going to attract Hunters if he remained careless.

That was something Guy knew his Master didn’t need.

The boy suddenly stood up, picking up the remnants of ropes that the buck had been tangled in.

A trap…?

Interesting. The rogue was self-sufficient, quite smart, Guy gave him that.

The boy gathered up the ropes, before grabbing the body of the buck, suddenly tossing the heavy weight over his shoulder and started slowly walking away with it.

And not that weak obviously, in fact… it shouldn’t be this strong if it was starving. Had that buck really been _enough_? He doubted it, knowing the weak blood could not compare to the energy their true food source gave them.

Guy couldn’t help growing a little more intrigued at this, however, as he began to follow the rogue at a safe distance. The further into the woods they traveled, the stronger the rogue’s scent grew. It was obviously his main territory they were entering now.

This rogue really took recluse to the the extreme, it seemed.

He paused as the rogue stopped, moving branches aside and tossing the ropes into what seemed to be an artificially made hole with cement stairs. The scent was the strongest there… So that was where the rogue lived?

Guy looked at him thoughtfully.

He decided would try to approach him, but not yet. He needed to do this carefully or risked frightening him away and possibly even expose them to the Hunters.

The boy picked up the buck again after hiding the entrance again to his home.

Guy backed away slowly, sure to not make a noise, now satisfied that he now knew where the rogue lived.

Once he was far enough away he pushed off the ground and sprinted through the trees as silent as a breeze, and faster than the blink of an eye he was back at the edge of town, pulling to a stop by his backyard.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket as he walked slowly inside.

_‘Finally found the place the rogue is living. It’s a literal hole in the ground in the woods… and he fucking smells like shit,’_ Guy typed into the phone. _‘I’m going to try to approach him tomorrow. He seems desperate for food.’_

He instantly got a message back. _‘Alright. If he proves too much of a risk, you know what to do. Kill him.’_

_‘Yes, sir.’_ Guy grimaced as he put away the phone.

He honestly hoped it wouldn’t come to that…

 

* * *

 

Poppy woke up to the sensation of slobber all over her face. Wet, long, sticky licks running across her cheeks and over her nose. She spluttered, opening her sleepy eyes to see intense brown eyes peering at her, hardly visible behind all that brown fur.

“Pffffhbtt—Fuzzbert, you goofy thing, was that necessary?!” Poppy scolded tiredly, wiping her face on her pillow. Fuzzbert only wagged his tiny little body eagerly and yipped at Poppy, pouncing on the blankets. Poppy sighed, pushing off the blankets. “Okay, _okay,_ I’m up, I’m up…”

Fuzzbert jumped off the bed and started to run in circles around the room, yipping and barking eagerly, his long curly brownish-orange fur bouncing about. His green collar jingled noisily.

Poppy slowly changed out of her clothes from the night before into something more comfortable, some sweatpants and a long sleeved pink shirt, before giving a huge yawn as she exited her bedroom.

Fuzzbert barreled down the stairs, in fact it was a miracle he didn’t fall over with his tiny little body in his excitement. His little claws reached the hardwood floor of the bottom floor and quickly raced around the corner, heading to the kitchen.

Poppy followed and entered the kitchen, scratching her head tiredly. Her eyes still drooped but gradually became more and more awake.

Fuzzbert scratched at the backyard door, whining impatiently. Poppy opened the door to the backyard, letting him skitter across the large stone patio and into the grass to do his business.

Poppy shut the back door, and shuffled over to the cabinet, opening it and grabbing a bowl. Then she shambled over to the pantry where she got a box of Lucky Charms, her favorite cereal, and proceeded to fill the bowl to the brim.

“Don’t fill it that high, it’ll overflow,” a voice chuckled behind her. Poppy turned, blinking at her father and seeing just the blurry outline of his grey mustache.

“I’m gonna be rebellious and overflow my bowl of cereal,” she said in a monotone voice.

“If I make coffee, will you be my obedient daughter again?”

“...yes,” Poppy giggled, and poured some of the cereal back into the box. Her father walked over to the coffee maker and filled it up to the brim with water from a nearby jug of filtered water.

“You didn’t drink or anything last night while you were with your friends, did you?” her father, Mayor Peppy asked calmly.

“Nah, nah, I don’t drink dad, don’t worry,” Poppy rested her head on her hand trying not to yawn, “I think it would be very clear if I was having a hangover. Not that I’ve had one yet, of course, but I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between morning-Poppy and hangover-Poppy.”

“Alright, just making sure,” Peppy smiled, spooning in the coffee grains into the filter. Poppy was about to eat a spoonful of her cereal when she realized, in a daze, she’d forgotten both a spoon _and_ the milk.

Poppy pushed herself away from the counter and went to the fridge, opening it and peering inside. She groaned.

“We’re out of miiiiiiiilk!” she cried.

“I believe someone used up the last of it trying to make ice cream,” Peppy chuckled. Poppy slowly closed the fridge door, remembering her little experiment yesterday.

“...riiiiiight,” Poppy sheepishly turned to her dad. “Guess I’ll have to make another trip to the store, huh?”

“I believe so, yes.” Peppy straightened his fuzzy bathrobe, “I’m going to get the newspaper.”

“‘Kay… guess I’m gonna have dry cereal,” Poppy mused. Peppy paused.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a diet, anyway?” he asked, amused. Poppy blinked.

“Well—kinda? I guess?”

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

“...maybe.”

“You know, you don’t have to do it just because that friend of yours suggested it.”

“Boyfriend, dad! _Boyfriend_.”

“Still.”

Poppy sighed, rubbing her head. “I know, I just…. He’s right, you know? I _have_ a bad habit of eating too much sugar and I know it’s not healthy, so I’m… trying? To do better? But it’s… not working because _sugar is just so good and—,”_

Peppy laughed, opening the fridge.

“Well, why don’t we start right now? Let’s get some healthy eggs out and some… _cheese,_ maybe some bacon—,”

“Dad, cheesy eggs and bacon isn’t really diet material.”

“This is for me, not you. You’re going to burn calories watching me eat,” Peppy said with a sparkle in his eye. Poppy opened her mouth, aghast.

“Wh—you— _Dad!_ ” she spluttered. “How _could_ you?!”

“We Coronas have a devious side to us,” he winked, setting the ingredients on the kitchen island. Poppy groaned, staring at the bacon with longing eyes.

“You’re just gonna make me _starve?_ ” she whimpered. “Such a cruel, cruel father I have.”

“Oh no, you get plain eggs. Just plain ol’ eggs.”

“....I’m getting my sprinkles,” Poppy said defiantly, springing up out of her stool and into the hallway before Peppy could even blink. Peppy chuckled as he went back to making breakfast. Poppy was one of a kind, that was for certain.

 

* * *

 

“And-a _one,_ and-a _two,_ and a _one, two, three!”_

The guitar strummed loudly as experienced fingers fiddled with the strings, and a drum was kicked into beat providing rhythm to the noise.  Poppy gripped the mic, closing her eyes as she felt the music ignite her bones, counting down the beats till it was her cue.

_“Switch on the sky and the stars glow for you,_

_go see the world ‘cause it’s all so brand new._

_Don’t close your eyes ‘cause your future’s ready to shine,_

_It’s just a matter of time, before we learn how to fly!”_

Her voice rang through the speakers and was clear and smooth as water. She opened her eyes to see Biggie videotaping and giving her a thumbs-up.

_“Welcome to the rhythm of the night!_

_There’s something in the air you can’t deny.”_

_“It’s been fun but now I’ve got to go,_ ” Creek harmonized with her, strumming the guitar. _“Life is way too short to take it slow,_

_But before I go and hit the road_

_I gotta know, ‘till then,_

_When can we do this again?_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh,_

_When can I see you again?_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh,_

_When can we do this again?_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh,_

_I gotta know, when can I see you again?”_

Creek’s singing grew louder than Poppy’s and she let him take the lead, feeling he was a much better singer anyway, he had one of those voices that simply... _demanded_ attention. She bobbed her head to the music as Creek took the next verse.

“AAH GUYS, sorry PAUSE, PAUSE, PAUSE!” Biggie’s voice cut over the music, waving his big arm. The music grounded to a halt and there were complaints of “What gives?!” “Dude why’d you stop us?!”

“We were getting into the beat, man!” Cooper complained.

“Sorry, sorry, but it’s six o’clock and I have a doctor’s appointment and _Suki_ has to go to work,” Biggie said apologetically and Suki jerked up alert, scowling. “Sorry, I lost track of time, guys, but I was really liking it so far! Er, except, Creek?”

“Yeah, mate?” Creek leaned against a stool, looking up at Biggie’s large frame with a cool blue gaze, his smile aloof.

“I _don’t_ mean to be rude but maybe you could tone it down just a _hint?_ You’re drowning out Poppy’s voice a little bit there; nothing _too_ bad but just for future reference.”

Guy immediately flinched, glancing between Biggie and Creek, feeling a small chill run down his spine. Biggie should know better than to correct _Creek_ of all people! How dumb was that werewolf?!

Creek let out a soft chuckle and glanced at Poppy. “Sure, sorry,” he apologized giving her a wink. Guy took an unintentional deep breath of relief, hoping that was the end of it.

“Oh, I didn’t see a problem with it,” Poppy waved her hand, brushing the matter off. “He’s got such a beautiful voice anyway, you just kinda wanna listen to it, you know? He can’t help but be loud!”

_Of course, if they only fucking knew…_ Guy grimaced, fiddling with some buttons on his keyboard.

Creek chortled and put the guitar down, pushing off the stool. In two short strides, he was at her side, his hands draping casually around her waist as he gave her forehead a kiss. “Aw, thanks love.”

“Probno lem. I MEAN—gah, tongue tied today,” Poppy fanned her face, staring into his deep blue eyes. “No problem!”

He grinned widely down at her, showing off pristine pearly whites.

“You guys are so _cute_ ,” Suki snorted with near sarcasm, rolling her eyes. Satin laughed, while Guy forced a grin.

“Hey, don’t you have work to go to?” Guy spoke up and poked Suki’s shoulder. Suki stiffened but quickly relaxed with a drawn out groan, turning the disk on her mixer till the scratching noise echoed with her voice. She always did that when she was nervous or lost for words, or an awkward situation just made her blare the sound out of her mouth.

“Yeah, yeah, be back later guys,” she sighed, picking up her backpack from behind her equipment and swinging it over her shoulder. “Biggie, mind opening the garage door?”

“Of course!” he pressed a switch on the side of the wall and the garage door opened, letting in the bright light of the afternoon. The light immediately burned Guy’s eyes and he squinted, patting around for his sunglasses. Wait—where the heck were they?!

“Gah!! Satin, where are my sunglasses?” Guy glanced around the floor behind his soundboard as he yanked off his headset.

“On your head, genius,” Satin rolled her eyes.

Guy blinked and patted the top of his head and found his diamond studded sunglasses that had been shoved back over his hair thanks to the headset.

He chuckled embarrassed as he plucked them carefully from his hi-top fade dyed with some silvery white, and he quickly popped them onto his face. “There.”

“You and your obsession to look cool under the sun…”

Guy smirked at the comment, running his fingers back through his hair making sure the ‘G’ and ‘D’ shaved on either side of his head was perfect and undisturbed.

Creek ignored the background chatter as he plucked his usual golden framed aviator sunglasses off his shirt and put them on. He smirked as he looked out to the street as Suki raced to her red scooter. 

“You know what would be great right now? Some, frozen yogurt,” he suggested giving Poppy a sideway glance. “Made of fruit, all natural sugar,” he teased. Poppy giggled, too.

“Sounds great! Hey guys, wanna come with?” she asked, turning around.

“I would but I’m lactose intolerant,” Guy muttered. Poppy frowned.

“No you’re not, you were eating ice cream just yesterday!”

“...okay, I’m _yogurt_ intolerant.”

Poppy laughed. Satin and Chenille only looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Creek rolled his eyes and scoffed. “You know there’s chocolate yogurt, right?”

Guy blinked, glancing at Creek.

“...and you never told me this _why?”_ he cried, hopping off his stool.

“Geez Guy, with all that light around you I thought you could see better.”

“Smart-ass. You were purposely withholding that information so you could have all the chocolate yogurt yourself.”

Creek laughed and shrugged. “Whatever you say, mate.”

Guy chuckled but was inwardly cringing at talking to Creek with such causality. He’d never quite gotten used to it, despite living here for a couple of years and keeping up their facade for the humans.

He just hoped he didn’t pay for his smart words later.

If he could just… _live_ here… without having to worry about Creek or anyone back at Bergen Town… Without any special agenda for his best friend… Hunters… Vampires...

No, that was too much to hope for. Guy had a duty, he couldn’t afford to daydream.

“Can we _go_ already? I’m getting hungry for that strawberry banana mango special I saw they had!” Poppy laughed, tugging Creek’s arm.

Creek chortled wrapping an around her shoulder and started to walk. “Sounds good, come on guys.”

“I’ll see you all later!” Biggie called after them.

“Tell us how the appointment goes!” Poppy called back.

“Mr. Dinkles should be okay, it’s just an annual checkup!”

Poppy blinked. “Wait, it’s for Mr. Dinkles?!”

“Yeah! Didn’t I say that?” Biggie tapped his chin. “Ah, well, never mind. See you all later!”

“Should we take our cars or just walk?” Satin asked the others as they strolled out of the garage.

“It’s a beautiful day outside, let’s enjoy it, yeah?” Creek suggested. Poppy grinned.

“Yeah, good idea, I need the exercise, too.”

The group left Biggie’s home and walked down the neighborhood path, picking up conversation about various things. Satin and Chenille, not surprisingly, got the subject on fashion; two aspiring fashion designers themselves. Guy was quick to quip his own input, ooh-ing and ah-ing at ideas and offering more, which usually involved glitter or gemstones...

“Just think, your most recent design but with saffrons in the trim. It would work perfectly!” Guy said excitedly.

“We can’t get real saffron silk, Guy!” Satin laughed, giving him a light shove.

“But if we could, those would totally sync the entire outfit together,” Chenille sighed. “We’ll just have to settle for the usual.”

“I’m sure you can get synthetic saffron or fake saffron for cheaper prices,” Guy said reasonably.

“Mmm, maybe,” Satin agreed thoughtfully.

“‘Maybe’, she says. It should be ‘Of course, Guy, you beautiful sparkly genius!’” Guy teased, a hyper bounce in his step.

Satin giggled, a light blush running over her pale cheeks as she looked at him. “Alright, alright, you beautiful sparkly genius,” she parroted back.

Guy beamed at her, feeling his own cheeks grow color. An odd sensation, considering the lack of pulse, but completely viable.

Where many vampires had trouble completely blending or even empathizing with their human prey, Guy just felt so at ease among his friends.

This just felt _right_ to him.

Like this was always where he was meant to be. Here, among humans; not as a predator… but as one _of_ them.

But reality was a bitch when it came to a burning sensation in his throat and he looked away from Satin, his smile falling as he glanced around at his friends.

Poppy and Creek were way ahead, their arms entwined as Poppy leaned into him. Cooper and Samantha, who insisted everyone call her Smidge due to her shortest stature of the group, were sharing tunes between their phones along with some photos along the back of the group, lagging behind.

Twenty minutes later they were already deeper into the busier part of Trollton where more cars actually bustled about the streets and intersections.

Before long they were standing in front of Buzzle-Bee’s Berry-Licious Yogurts. A cute little purple bee holding a spoonful of yogurt illustrated the windows and door. Poppy would be lying if she didn’t think it was one of the cutest things in the world.

Letting go of Poppy’s shoulder Creek opened the door and gestured her to proceed with a debonair smile on his face.

 With a giggle, she skipped in and paused when she saw the short line and a relatively half-filled establishment, they must have just missed the lunch hour rush.

“Oh! There it is!” she cried pointing to the poster with the newest confection up for selection.

Creek looked at the poster as he removed his sunglasses and snorted as he saw the splash of colors behind the cup of yogurt. “At least it has three different fruits,” he agreed seeming satisfied with her choice. “Try it without sprinkles this time? Maybe some granola?” he suggested smoothly with that charming smile he tried to use against her.

Poppy pouted and gave him a weak glare; he knew how she felt about her sprinkles. Heck, she even carried a canister of emergency sprinkles in her purse!

“Please?” he smiled sweetly and his finger came up and booped her nose. “I’ll give you a free massage later at the spa if you do.”

“You give me all my massages for free,” she pointed out smirking.

“True,” he mused for a moment contemplating his options to persuade her. “How about next time I throw in a hot stone massage and seaweed wrap, hm?”

“Oooh, you spoil me,” Poppy snickered. “Okay, okay, I won’t have any sprinkles… and maybe some granola.”

He grinned widely and again he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, cupping her arm farthest from his body.

“Perfect,” he purred.

Guy looked away from them with a small grimace to look back at the menu. The rest of the group was clamoring behind them in line, discussing what they would try today.

In the end, Poppy got her strawberry-banana-mango monstrosity in a size large with granola, but just to defy him there was a maraschino cherry on top. Creek got his usual banana chocolate Greek yogurt in a size small, and Guy, settled on a small plain dark chocolate yogurt just to give it a try. The twins shook up their usual a bit and tried something new which didn’t sound all that appealing to Poppy… coffee vanilla yogurt with blueberry or strawberry swirls. Cooper and Smidge decided on classic peanut butter chocolate yogurt shakes.

“Hmm, where to sit,” Poppy glanced around.

“Inside,” Guy said at once.

“But it’s so nice outside!”

“But my hair!” Guy whined, jutting out his bottom lip. “My stylized hair doesn’t do good with sweat and I’m not about to start now!” _Even though vampires don’t technically sweat,_ he added as an afterthought. It was bad enough dealing with the sun burning the retinas out of his eyes everyday, even after years the term ‘get used to it’ didn’t quite ring true.

“Alright, alright!” Poppy groaned with a dramatic slump of her shoulders, the others chuckling and giggling.

“Over there!” Smidge suddenly piped up, pointing to a table.

The group looked over and Smidge and Cooper were already leading the way. They all clambered together on a large round booth in the back.

Poppy found Creek to her right and Chenille to her left and smiled widely.

Taking a bite from her treat she squealed but then pouted after swallowing. It was definitely missing sprinkles and the granola was a bland hard thing against her teeth.

“Don’t like it?” Creek asked glancing at her.

“It’s missing sprinkles,” she complained feeling her lower lip jut out.

Creek chuckled. “Poppy, you can’t have sprinkles on _everything_ you know…”

“I can sure as heck try!” she retorted already reaching for her purse again.

His hand end up on hers and she shivered as the coolness of his skin contrasted against her own, making a jolt run up her spine.

“Please? I don’t want you to get diabetes, you know,” he said softly with concern casting those blue eyes on her unfairly so and she felt her willpower leave her as she looked into them.

She scowled as he used that ‘diabetes’ gambit on her again and she relented, her purse falling back to her lap.

“Fiiiiiiine,” she drawled going back to her sprinkle-free yogurt.

“He’s right you know,” Guy piped up from where he sat next to Satin. “What are you going to do if you do get diabetes, hmm? Commit suicide by sugar comma?”

“Probably,” Poppy chuckled. She couldn’t imagine an existence without sugar, she’d take the quickest route out in such a case.

“Not to mention sticking yourself with a needle every day? Gah!” Cooper shuddered.

“Oh my gah, Justin Timberlake released a new song!” Smidge suddenly shouted, her deep voice reverberating.

Phones couldn’t be yanked out fast enough except Creek who ignored the commotion and focused on his yogurt.

Poppy took out her silver pink uPhone, the little rainbow keychain dangling and realized she had a text message.

As she saw Rose’s name she grinned and opened up the picture message seeing a homemade layered chocolate cake and a wrapped-up gift along with it. The text read: _‘Look alright?’_

Quickly she started to text back just as Creek glanced over.

“Who’s the cake for?”

“Don’t snoop!” she said excitedly, her right hand suddenly coming up to his face and pushing him away.

Creek scowled displeased and raise an eyebrow at her for a moment before he let a serene expression take hold again and he returned to his yogurt.

‘ _OMG IT LOOKS GORGEOUS ROSE! HE’S GONNA LOVE IT! <3<3<3 But where are the Happy Birthday letters???’_

Send.

She then opened up youtube and yanked out her earbuds.

“What’s it called, Smidge?”

“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” she said without looking up as she and Cooper stared at her screen.

Poppy quickly keyed in the song title and clicked the music video, grinning. A catchy tune began to play and she immediately started to bob her head to the music.

Her phone buzzed with another text message and she quickly exited out of youtube to look at Rose’s reply.

_‘Thanks! I thought the letters would be kind of pointless. How’s your day been so far? Got enough sleep? lol’_

_‘Got enough sleep, though mr. fuzzy woke me up early again but i got to see dad before he went to work so im not mad at him. OH HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEW JT SONG THAT JUST CAME OUT???? Look up Cant Stop The Feeling, its really good so far :D :D :D :D :D:D :D’_

Send and she went back to youtube while she waited for the reply. It came about a minute later, Rose’s face and name popping at the top of her screen and she switched apps again.

_‘Lol, thats why i dont have a dog. Oh? Thats good! Haven’t seen the new song, i’ll check it out later. I have to get going here, meeting the guys at a bar later.’_

_‘Oooh have fun!! Im having some fruity yogurt :D …….. With no sprinkles…….. Trying to cut back. :’( :’( :’( :’( :’( :’( :’( :’( :’( :’(‘_

‘ _LMAO. GOOD. About time you started worrying about how much sugar you eat.’_

_‘But the sprinnkkkkllllleeeessssss </3’_

_‘Lololol. Be strong! Talk to you later poppy, be careful on your way home. I’ll tell you how it goes tonight if i dont pass out first. Bye~!’_

_‘Byeeee!’_

Poppy reopened the youtube app and finished listening to the song, moving animatedly in her seat to the music.

Creek finished his yogurt rather quickly, undistracted like the rest of them. Casually he leaned back in his seat and his arm lounged over Poppy’s shoulder as he curiously looked down at her and her phone.

“Song any good?” he asked, listening to her play it for the third time in a row.

“Duh,” she took out an earbud and offered it to him, “Wanna listen?”

“Naw,” he shrugged. “I could hear it while you played it, you should really lower the volume or you’ll damage your hearing,” he mentioned absently pulling her a little closer till their sides touched.

She wanted to complain about his constant mothering but as her side touched his she forgot how to open her mouth, her body tensing and focusing on something disconcerting about the touch. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but there was something just… _off_.

Poppy quickly brushed the thought away with a snort, thinking what on earth could _possibly_ be wrong with Creek?

Creek however didn’t miss the slight tension he felt from her, disrupting her aura. He glanced up and no one was looking. He leaned in and his nose was pressing into her jawline, just under her ear.

“I don’t really like his voice, I rather hear you sing it,” he whispered, letting his breath muffle over her skin before he took an inhale, just leaning against her.

Poppy felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, flustered at Creek’s compliment. A slight tension took her shoulders, a shiver running down her chest from the top of her head and she didn’t know what it was but she wanted to shrink away from his teasing breath with her sudden nervousness.

“You’re the better singer,” she said, forcing herself to shake away that silly feeling and turned around to look into his gorgeously deep blue eyes.

His eyes flickered up, meeting her amber gaze and seizing their attention for a moment as he smirked just slightly.

“Clearly, you need to check your hearing,” he smiled leaning in and their lips met.

Poppy shuddered, her heart suddenly picking up speed and she felt herself relax as she closed her eyes, wanting to melt into his side.

It wasn’t their first kiss, but each one always tasted sweet, as though she were kissing chocolate—even though he’d technically just _eaten_ chocolate.

“Oh Creek, you have yogurt on your shirt,” Guy interrupted the two. Creek broke the kiss and glared at Guy, scowling at the other’s casual grin, who internally shrunk away from the sharp glare. Why had he opened his mouth in the first place?!

“You actually do have yogurt, lemme get that for you,” Poppy reached for a napkin and wiped off the blob of yogurt that had fallen on his shirt collar still feeling bubbly herself.

Creek looked down finding the unsightly blemish on his shirt as Poppy tried to clean it, even though she was just smearing the chocolate...

Guy watched, the unsettling feeling from before that had made him speak without thinking returning, but he clamped his mouth shut and scooped more chocolate yogurt into his mouth.

“Thank you, love,” Creek rumbled, smiling at her before shooting one last glare at Guy before looking back at Poppy. “So, any more plans for today? Starting tomorrow I’ll be out of town the entire week, so if there’s anything you wanna do tonight...” he trailed off, letting the suggestion hang in the air. Poppy perked up.

“A massage? Pleeaaase, I've been dying for another massage, and maybe I can visit the sauna?”

The smile that pulled at his lips couldn't be more obvious. “Anything for my lady,” he assured. “Let’s go take your car home first, I always have to drive you back anyways. You’re usually too groggy to operate ‘heavy machinery’ afterwards,” he teased.

Poppy giggled sheepishly.

“You’re just so _good_ at it,” she whispered. “It puts me right to sleep!”

“That’s the point!” he chuckled getting ready to stand up. “Ready to go guys or should we just go ahead without you?”

Guy’s eyes fell but he sucked in a breath, trying to put on a smile.

“Eh, go without us, I’m having too much fun chatting to these ladies,” Guy grinned and put his arms around Satin and Chenille, who were more amused than anything at Guy’s antics.

“Sounds good,” Creek replied standing up and offering his hand to Poppy.

Grinning she took his hand he pulled her up easily to her feet.

“See you later guys, don’t forget—”

“Keep calm, we know,” they all echoed out and Creek frowned.

Poppy giggled and pulled him along to the exit.

Guy watched them leave and couldn’t help grimacing, his eyes trailing after Creek who snuck a hand around Poppy’s waist. He knew _exactly_ what Creek was about to do.

His own throat burned quite ravenously, but he knew he was in a bit of a pickle about it today. Chenille had an iron deficiency, and Satin’s period had begun; Guy could smell it quite clearly. And there was no way he was going to feed off of Smidge and Cooper, both who ate too much junk food for their own good.

The two in fact were already at the counter again, ordering something else!

Biggie… Guy shuddered. Not Biggie, definitely not Biggie. He loved the guy, but feeding off a werewolf was like… well Guy imagined it would taste like what a human tastes eating dog food laced with some kind of poison.

Not pleasant.

He supposed he could find a random passerby and hypnotize them… but Guy hated to do that.

Their phones buzzed. Satin was already scrolling through her apps.

“Oh, that sucks,” she mused.

“What is it?” Guy glanced at her.

“Suki’s shift got canceled,” Chenille sighed in reply for her sister. “She missed out on the yogurt.”

“Oh, that does suck,” Guy mused, his thoughts already traveling elsewhere.

Suki. Suki was an option… his only option, actually.

“Ugh, I think I should have skipped on the yogurt,” Satin grimaced. “Do you have any painkillers, sis…?” she asked hopefully glancing at her.

“I think I have some,” Chenille dug into her purse and grinned as she pulled out a small white bottle. “Yeah!”

“Stomach cramps?” Guy grimaced sympathetically.

Satin looked up surprised, her hand going down to her lower stomach and she blushed. “How did you know?”

“I just know you girls that well,” Guy said casually, folding his arms behind his head. “You always get your periods around this time. Unlike most men, I have a keen eye for details.”

Satin blushed more furiously, smiling sweetly at him.

“So that’s how you always have stuff with you around those days!” Chenille gasped, her eyes sparking with realization as she passed the pills to her sister.

“Yep,” Guy winked. “Gotta take care of my lady friends.”

“You really are beautiful,” Satin simpered, leaning in shyly and pecking his cheek. “Thank you.”

Guy blushed furiously and he grinned at her more goofily.

“You’re very, very welcome,” he bowed with a flourish. The two girls giggled at his antics.

“Whatcha guys laughing about?” Cooper’s voice popped in as he and Smidge returned.

“Nothing in particular,” Guy said. He suddenly stiffened as he caught a strong whiff of Satin’s blood as she shifted in her seat and he cringed, his throat burning even more. “Oh, but… I just remembered, I… left something at—I mean I need to ask Suki a thing. I think I left some of my cds at her place, you know how bad she is at returning stuff,” he chuckled, trying to think of a good excuse.

Smidge snorted at that. “She still has my workout mat somewhere!”

“Exactly,” Guy chuckled, standing up. “Alright ladies, it’s been fun, but I need to run a couple quick errands. One of which is of dire importance—my glitter has almost run _out_ ,” he said dramatically, tossing his head back as he scooted out of the booth.

The twins sniggered.

“That is dire!” Satin teased.

“Yeah, we have a photoshoot tomorrow,” Chenille agreed.

“I’ll be there,” Guy winked. “With extra glitter. I’ll see you guys later,” he waved as he walked off, disposing the empty paper cup into the trash can on the way out. He exited the yogurt shop but couldn’t help grimacing, unable to help feeling guilty about what he was about to do.

But he needed to feed, especially if he was going to go face the rogue.

 


	4. Rogue

Guy knocked on Suki’s door, having spotted her red scooter in the driveway and knowing for a fact she was home. Her grandmother’s car was absent though.

There were quick steps coming from inside, beyond the door, his sharp hearing picking up each footfall.

The door suddenly opened, Suki grinning wide but it fell immediately as she saw who it was.

“Hey, Sooks,” Guy smiled gingerly.

She kept the door half open, frowning and glanced quickly behind him, her grimace growing.

“Hey, Guy… Um… Something you need?” she asked carefully.

“Listen…” Guy said quietly. “I know that you know what I am so I’m going to ask politely. Will you…” he paused carefully before letting out a heavy sigh as she froze. “Will you give me some of your blood?”

“H—How… How did you know I knew?” she squeaked, her eyes wide.

“Well for one, I’m going to assume your grandmother told you, being a banshee and all,” Guy grimaced. “And secondly, I can smell your fear. You… don’t look at me and—,” his words choked and he rolled his eyes at himself. “You don’t look at me the same way.”

Suki swallowed, taking a step back. “Or Creek…?”

“...I’m… I’m not inclined to confirm that,” Guy muttered, looking to his feet.

Suki’s eyes narrowed at him. “I know what you _both_ are, and Biggie, I’m not completely human myself,” she warned, trying to sound brave.

“Listen, Suki, please, I don’t want to hurt you,” Guy said, looking up. “It’s why I’m _asking_ you for your blood. I’m not hypnotizing you, or coercing you…”

“You couldn’t hypnotize me even if you wanted to,” she muttered, crossing her arms.

“Well, that’s true,” Guy mused. “But Satin’s on her period and Chenille has that iron deficiency problem, and… I’m not exactly fond of Smidge and Cooper’s diet…” he looked at her pleadingly.

“Do you even really _care?_ ” she suddenly huffed sarcastically. “You vampires just see us all the same,” she spat, not knowing where the fire was suddenly coming from but her voice was rising with anger. “You just use us, you don’t even see us as humans with feelings.”

Guy’s jaw clenched, feeling his chest cave.

“You have no idea,” he whispered. “You have no idea how much I wish I wasn’t a vampire. How much it hurts my heart to see Poppy used like this, for myself to use Satin or others for—,” he looked away shamefully. “I can’t… I can’t deny my own nature, but… not a day goes by when don’t I wish I was a human. Hell,” he scoffed, his fingers absently traveling to his wallet, “the whole hemophobic thing isn’t even a _lie.”_

She paused, studying him with wide eyes. She stared for a long time, biting her plump full lips as she watched him thoughtfully and conflicted, unsure.

“Listen,” Guy breathed. “Normally I would try to find blood some other way, but to be frank this is a bit of an emergency. There’s a rogue living around here, and I have no doubt he’s starting to starve from lack of proper blood. I need to try to approach and help him before he exposes us or turns Esurient,” he said seriously, meeting her gaze with fixed urgency and honesty. “But I need blood myself in order to do that.”

Suki had paled, looking on with wide eyes. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed looking away.

“I don’t know if I’m stupid or I just _really_ want to believe you’re good,” she sighed defeated.

Guy smiled gratefully at her.

“Our friendship was never a lie,” he promised. “I just… it’s… _complicated_ for me. Even more than you could imagine.”

She looked up, frowning. “You mean the whole Creek is your master sort of thing? I’ve kinda noticed, my gran explained that to me as best as she could.”

“...I’m not inclined to confirm that,” Guy said dully, glancing away.

She nodded, getting it. Sighing, she opened the door and stepped aside.

“Alright, well, get in already,” she grumbled waving in.

“Thank you,” Guy said gratefully with relief as he stepped into her home.

“Just don’t make me pass out,” she muttered closing the door.

“Of course not,” Guy shook his head with a smirk. “I’m not _that_ starved yet.”

She grunted, walking into the living room, the decor foreign and brightly colored and patterned like everything she wore.

Guy sat down on one of the couches and Suki sat next to him, twiddling her thumbs together.

“So… how does this work, do you bite my neck or…” she mumbled, uncomfortable.

“It doesn’t have to be your neck,” Guy said, taking her arm. “We can do it from your wrist. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

She sighed again, trying to calm down, her heartbeat deafening even in her ears. It was like thunder in Guy’s ears, driving his hunger mad but he managed to keep his eyes a soft deep blue and his features human.

“It better not,” she huffed trying to give him a steely look.

“I’m going to lick your skin first, it’ll numb the area,” Guy explained.

“Okay, Guy, I know that, stop. You’re making me more nervous,” she deadpanned.

“Okay, okay, just making sure, I didn’t want you weirding out on me when I lick,” Guy chuckled.

She huffed, her cheeks burning up and she looked away, closing her eyes. “Just get it over with already,” she muttered.

Guy nodded and brought her wrist closer to his mouth, letting his tongue wash over her skin. He screwed his eyes shut, taking in a deep breath to prepare himself, before his fangs enlarged and he buried them into her veins.

Hot blood pooled into his mouth and he gulped, the fire in his throat ravenous and greedy, but he took care to control himself and not let any blood spill from the wounds. He tried not to think about it, about what he was drinking. His mind churning in a way he wished his stomach could, not only lending those ghostly disturbing sensations of disgust, fear, and discomfort. But his instincts spoke differently, with delight and satisfaction. Monstrous, the sharp thoughts of a shameless predator. It was a conflicting war in his own head and body.

It’s not like they were physically capable of throwing up. _If only._

Guy felt the burning feeling die down till it was only pinpricks and he let his tongue wash over her wounds, healing them and not removing his mouth until he was sure there was no trace of the red liquid left behind. He set her arm back down in her lap, patting her wrist gently.

“There,” he smiled. “Thank you, Suki.”

He looked up and found her scrutinizing gaze on him.

“You looked like you didn’t enjoy that one bit.”

“I never do,” Guy grimaced, looking at his feet. “I never have. That’s what you get for being a fucking hemophobic vampire,” he chuckled mirthlessly.

She frowned at him, staring thoughtfully at him. “How is that even possible?” she asked softly. “That’s like a wolf not liking meat. It would starve to death.”

Guy paused, feeling his gut clenched. Again his fingers traveled to his wallet and he sighed.

“It’s… a long story, one I’d rather not delve into right now,” Guy muttered.

She frowned, staring at him with deep reflective brown eyes. “I’m sensing death,” she muttered.

Guy went rigid, glancing at Suki with wide eyes. Fuck. Banshee. Right.

“...Don’t make me talk about it,” he whispered pleadingly.

She raised her hand, breathing out softy. “I get it, sorry, I can’t help reading strong emotions and death sensations. Believe me. that's not exactly the highlight of my day when I feel like screaming every time I predict a car crash within ten miles of my vicinity. It’s pretty damn grim.”

“I know,” Guy sighed, patting her knee. He stood up, feeling a bit more energized. “Thank you again, Suki,” he said, looking at her.

“Sure,” she nodded, slowly smiling. “Any time, just ask,” she shrugged slowly but then her look sharpened and he glared at him. “But _not_ in front of my gran, it’ll give her a heart attack if she finds out!”

“Of course not,” Guy smiled, holding his hands up in defense. “I like her, she’s nice, I won’t try to scare her by sucking your blood in front of her. Ew. Even _I_ don’t want to see that,” he mumbled with a snort.

She let out a dry laugh, standing up and she paused, feeling a little dizzy and she grimaced.

“Don’t do any heavy activity for a while, just rest, and drink lots of water,” Guy advised. “And orange juice, drink lots of orange juice, too.”

She snorted, nodding. “I was just about to get some OJ from the fridge.”

“Good,” Guy grinned. “I’ll see you later then, Sooks. Sorry you couldn’t join us for yogurt, it was good, even for human food,” he winked. “Then again, we vampires are suckers for chocolate.”

She laughed at that rolling her eyes and walked after him to the door.

“Oh, Guy?”

“Mm?” Guy looked at her as he paused as he reached for the door handle.

She frowned tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sensing any death in your immediate future, so… if you’re going to go see this rouge… I think it’s safe to say it’ll go alright?”

Guy perked up and he grinned at Suki.

“Thanks,” he said, turning the handle. “That means a lot. Still, wish me luck though, this sucker probably hasn’t been in contact with people for a while.”

She smiled sadly and sympathetically. “Good thing you’re approaching him then, good luck.”

“If he’ll accept my help, that is. Thanks,” he smiled and stepped through the door.

A sharp piercing wail suddenly cut through the air.

Guy jumped, clamping his hands over his ears as he whirled around, his eyes wide.

Suki had her hands over her mouth and her eyes were wide.

“Sorry!” she squeaked. “Car crash. I can usually control that,” she grimaced confused. “Damn, did losing blood really affect me like that?”

“It’s fine, don’t apologize,” Guy grimaced back. “Just go back inside and rest, try to relax as best you can.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she nodded looking more dizzy. “Sorry about that again, know your hearing is sensitive, same here.”

“It’s fine. I’ll see you later,” Guy smiled.

“Yeah same, oh and um… Guy?” she grimaced deeply, wringing her wrists and the bangles shuffling quietly.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know why I’m saying this, but when I was reading you earlier, um… He never died or whoever it was you were thinking of.”

Guy blinked in absolute confusion.

“What?” He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t really know. It’s just the feeling I got. I’m only half banshee, I didn’t inherit the vision part. Sorry, wish I could help,” she groaned.

“It… it’s fine,” Guy frowned, rubbing the back of his head, his brow pinched.

Suki closed the door behind him and Guy turned, walking back to his car. He slid into his silver mustang, but paused before he put the keys in the ignition.

He reached down and dug into his pocket, taking out his wallet and opening one of the little pockets.

He took out a small little shimmering stone tied to a worn leather string. His good luck charm. One that he had had on his person for years. He rubbed the little stone before glancing back at Suki’s house.

_“He never died or whoever it was you were thinking of.”_

Guy didn’t know what that meant, at least not what he _thought_ she was talking about. If she was talking about the person he _thought_ she was talking about…

...No, that was impossible. They had died years ago, he was absolutely certain of it. Suki must have been talking of someone else.

Guy grimaced and put the little stone back into his wallet and put it in his pocket, shaking his head to clear his thoughts as he started the car.

He had other things to worry about, he couldn’t afford spending his thoughts on him, on someone who was long dead. He had other important business to attend to.

 

* * *

 

Guy squinted through the trees, his nostrils flaring as he pinpointed the whereabouts of the owner of the—slightly better smelling today, _thank goodness_ —fresh scent trail.

Guy kicked off the ground and sped through the trees, his eyes flaring red and his features sharpening as he concentrated, shooting through the forest like a bullet.

He immediately stopped on a ridge overlooking a large but well concealed trap that the rogue was currently examining. He paused as he looked down on the rogue.

How should he approach him? He didn’t want to scare him off. What was the best way to go about this?

Perhaps… just alert him of his presence?

Worth a shot.

Guy coughed loudly into his fist, looking down expectantly at the rogue.

The rogue whirled around, eyes wide.

“Hi,” Guy waved.

The boy stared with wide shocked eyes and immediately bolted.

Guy was already two steps ahead of him and blocked his path, holding his hands out.

The rogue skidding to a halt barely within inches of crashing into Guy, but his claws slamming and slashing into a tree to stop himself with a loud screeching of breaking bark.

“Hey, hey, woah, it’s okay,” Guy said calmly. “Calm down, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help you, I promise.”

The rogue took a quick step back yanking his nails out of the trunk, sucking in a sharp breath. Frightened blue eyes with a ring of red around his pupils staring at Guy.

 _Fuck! How had this happened? How had he been this careless?_ Branch didn’t know but the fear coursing through him was almost paralyzing as he realized he was facing another vampire.

_Another vampire._

“Go away!” he barked, agitated and his fear scent palatable in the air.

Guy winced immediately, this guy was _definitely_ starving.

“Listen, I know you’re scared, but I swear I’m only here to help you. I can tell you’re starving,” he said slowly and in a soft voice. “My name is Guy, and I can help you.”

“I don’t need your help!” he snapped back, his brow scrunching as he took another step back with a hunched defensive stance.

“Sorry to disagree, but you really don’t look like the epitome of health,” Guy quirked an eyebrow. “And from what I can see, you look about twenty four, possibly forty two hours away from turning Esurient. And we both don’t want that.”

Branch froze. Staring.

_What…? Esurient? What the fuck is he talking about?_

He swallowed, not trusting this _creature_ in front of him for one second. He took another step back.

“Wh—What do you want?” he croaked.

“I want to help you,” Guy said again. “Listen, I can tell you’re getting desperate, you’ve become more careless, that’s how I found you in the first place. But you’re lucky it wasn’t a Hunter who found you, otherwise you would be dead by now. But you could still attract Hunters and risk exposing _all_ of us,” Guy said, trying to reason with him.

 _Fuck!_ Branch cursed, gritting his teeth, glaring.

“I don’t give a shit if I expose all of you,” he spat with a snarl of his fangs. “You all _deserve_ to die.”

Guy couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Typical.

“Then do you at least give a shit if you go mad with hunger and attack the town without thinking?” he deadpanned.

Branch froze, closing his mouth, swallowing with fear and perplexity at the idea. No… he _wouldn’t_ do that, he would _never_ let that happen!

Guy paused, seeing the look of confusion and his eyes widened.

“Please tell me you at least know what an Esurient _is,”_ he said, tilting his head and looking at him rather aghast.

Branch pinched his mouth closed and took another step back. He was getting slowly farther and farther away, looking ready to bolt.

Guy noticed and sighed, gritting his teeth.

“Listen, what can I do to help you?” he asked. “Is it too much to believe that maybe not all us vampires are cruel and twisted and some of us might also hate how monstrous we are?”

Branch snarled, his face pinching up hatefully as he retorted. “I’ll believe that when pigs fucking fly.”

“Be that as it may, I still want to help. You don’t have to trust me, but just… just let me help you get blood or something,” Guy reasoned with him.

Branch froze again, swallowing hard and the burning driving madly in his throat just with the mention of the word. He tried not to groan, his hand coming up to cup his throat as he choked down the sensation painfully. His eyes flaring scarlet without him realizing it.

“I know what you’re feeling, trust me,” Guy said tenderly. “I’ve starved before, too.”

Branch flashed wary eyes at the vampire, uncertainty being out warred by desperation.

“...what… what can _you_ do?” he finally managed to whisper, his caution not dampening.

He must be mad if he was asking another _vampire_ for help.

“I can get you anything you need, a living body to feed on or… ergh, blood bags,” Guy rolled his eyes.

“ _NO!!!_ ” Branch immediately screeched taking two large stops back.

“Okay, okay, blood bags then,” Guy said quickly. “I know where to get lots of blood bags, but it’ll probably take me till tomorrow morning to fetch them.”

Branch froze again, staring doubtfully at the vampire. Confused, but his mind going mad at the idea of being properly fed. He gulped, unable to fight the disgusting desire.

“You’d… you’d do that?” he questioned softly, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“Absolutely,” Guy said with a nod.

Branch slowly straightened up, staring with hard glowing blue eyes as the red died. He glanced away, looking at the stinging light of sunset that retreated from the shade they stood in. But he did not dare take one eye off the other vampire.

He slowly looked at Guy, frowning.

“...okay…” he finally said slowly, questioning his sanity.

Guy brightened up immediately, a wide grin splitting his features. Branch quirked an eyebrow at him, finding the expression utterly perplexing and not fitting his perception or memory of a vampire _at all._

“I’ll try to get them as quickly as possible,” he promised. “I should be back in the morning, maybe around nine am or something.”

Branch wasn’t about to say he didn’t have a fucking watch. He could guess the hour by the shadows though so he said nothing, only nodding once.

Guy suddenly disappeared in a blur of silver and Branch yelped, jumping back as he vanished into a streak shooting through the trees.

Branch stared after the blur with wide eyes, completely lost.

What… the fuck… had _just_ happened?

Who the fuck was this vampire? He squinted his eyes, suddenly realizing he was familiar and Branch’s eyes went wide in shock as it clicked.

_One of the friends that hanged around with Poppy!_

His head whipped around and he opened his mouth but the vampire was long gone.

_Fuck!_

How many were there of them, then? Hiding in plain sight? Fear and worry suddenly gnawed at him and he was at a complete loss.

What had he _just_ done?! Agreeing for help?! Was he _stupid?!_

Branch groaned, slumping to the ground and burying his face in his hands.

 


	5. Hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mostly is the same from the previous version with some interesting alterations in the end of the first half and a few bits in the middle. Nothing major. We are recycling a good bit of writing so don't be surprised that the plot remains a good deal the same. We'll leave warning so everyone knows what chapters are different.

 

* * *

 

 

The walk back to Biggie’s house was brisk, Poppy had extra energy in her step so she ended up tugging Creek along the way, making him laugh as they had some small talk.

Once they arrived she skipped over to her cute soft pink Mini Cooper while he slid into his sleek cobalt blue Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Poppy simply _adored_ her little car, she even had given it a silly nickname as she slipped in and put the keys into the ignition and the little engine came to life. A gaudy pair of fuzzy pink dice hung from her rearview mirror which she smacked for a moment like a playful cat before pulling the car in reverse.

The drive back home was only about ten minutes. Living in a small town like Trollton, everything was close together and everyone knew each other making it a pretty close community. She _loved_ it, and someday she was going to follow in her father’s footsteps. She just had to get all the partying out of system while she saved up for college next year.

She pulled up into the empty driveway of her house and left the car outside rather than pulling it into the garage. Turning off her car she skipped out, locked it and rushed to the street as the sun set over the asphalt, painting it orange and where Creek’s sleek new car was waiting for her.

The door was already open for her and she slid in with a grin as he lazily leaned one hand over the steering wheel while he waited for her to put on her seat belt. As soon as the buckling sound snapped in the air he set it on drive and they were cruising back into town as she messed with his radio trying to find a good station.

It seemed she finally found one when Creek pulled up into the vacant parking lot of a familiar tan building with a large fountain in the front and large planters with palm trees and other such plants. The large sign with elegant calligraphy stating: Riverside Spa and Recreations.

Poppy still couldn’t believe how lucky Creek was that his family owned the place and that he was the manager since his junior year of high school. And as the manager and owner he could use the place whenever he wanted and work any job he really wanted in the facility, his prefered jobs being a masseur and yoga instructor when he wasn’t teaching a swimming class.

He was just _so_ talented! Poppy couldn’t believe her luck when he had finally asked her out.

“Let’s go,” he said taking the keys out of the ignition and opening the door.

Poppy fiddled with her seatbelt and pulled up her purse just in time to hear her door open. She looked up surprised finding him already there with his hand in offering and that kind smile he always gave her.

Smirking she took his hand and he gently pulled her out before leading her up the mosaic patterned stone pathway towards the entrance and pulled out his keys.

She was already grinning as he unlocked the door and the alarm inside beeped. Slipping in he disabled the security system and turned on the lights.

It was always odd to find the fancy reception desk empty when he brought her here after closing hours, the fountain turned off behind the desk that should be cascading a softy melody in the air was turned off. The stucco walls lined with paintings of relaxing scenery.

While she walked in, Creek locked the double doors behind her and checked the sign that said they were closed before turning back to her.

“I’ll go get the room ready while you put on a robe, okay?” he said passing by her. “Boop,” he cooed as his index finger squashed her nose for a moment.

She giggled and nodded.

“I’ll be there in a sec!” she called rushing off to the dressing room just down the hallway.

It should be a strange thing, getting naked when one hasn’t even hit that base with their boyfriend just yet, but she knew Creek was a trained professional. He had been giving her and their friends, those that wanted it that is, massages for years now. She knew he would never take advantage of the situation even when she fell asleep on him, which happened every time without fail. His hands were like magic.

So, she was not the least bit worried as she stripped in one of the private dressing rooms and slipped on a white robe and a pair of slippers. She decided not to stash her belongings in a locker, they were alone after all and left everything there on the bench including her phone.

Trying not to dash back through the corridors she made it to their usual room past his office. The smell of lavender oil burning made a relaxed smile melt across her face and she slowed down, taking her time to walk into the lovely room with pale blue walls. There was wood paneling, a clock on the wall, paintings of the ocean, shelves with small plants in white porcelain pots, a long counter will all the supplies the therapist required.

The lights were dim and there was candle light from little candles floating in glass basins of water with river rocks at the bottom and some of them even had aquatic plants in them.

Creek was leaning against massage table smiling, already turned toward her, wearing white slack, his feet bare and no shirt…

Poppy’s breath caught and her heart felt like it was racing again as she tried not to stare at the contours of his chest and abs to his much taller body than her own. Blushing she looked away.

“Hehe, sorry, do you want me to put my shirt on?” he asked already reaching for it on a nearby table.

“N-no, no it’s alright, I know you don’t like to wear it when you work,” she mumbled.

He smirked. “You know me well, Poppy. I’ll step out while you get under the sheet.”

She nodded, her breath catching as he came up to her and paused. Poppy had to crane her neck to look into his eyes, her own eyes unfortunately going over his body unintentionally. But she forgot about it the moment her eyes met his and she felt like she was getting lost in their dark blue depths, losing her breath.

He was smiling again and he leaned down and her breath caught in anticipation before their lips met. She felt her knees go a little weak as she tasted that sweetness again, his hand cupped her jaw and he deepened the kiss. But his tongue never brushed past her lips and invaded. Nonetheless she was left breathless and pouting a bit when he stopped and pulled away.

“Tune out those negative vibrations, ‘kay? It’s just you and me.”

She simpered and nodded once as he let go of her face and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Poppy let out a shuddering breath and she swayed as she somewhat collapsed forlorn against the wall for a moment as she tried to calm her racing heart. Why did he always have this effect on her? It was overwhelming and she was sure it was unnatural, but then again, she had never been in love before, till now, she was sure of it. In which case, it was even better than in the movies!

She took a moment to catch her breath before walking over to the massage table, disrobing and shivering for a moment with the cool air. Absently she wondered if Creek used some kind of lip balm that always made him taste so sweet yet she couldn’t even begin to place the taste nor had she ever seen him apply anything to his mouth.

Maybe it was just his natural taste? In that case, it was even better and she smiled feeling even luckier as she tossed the robe over a seat.

Laying down she pulled the white sheet over her body up to her neck before she rolled over, facing down and her face pressing into the curved face pillow holder but leaving her free to breathe from below.

She took the time to even out her breathing before she heard the knock.

“Ready?” she heard the voice echo in past the door.

“Yup!” she said realizing her voice had choked up and it hadn’t been very loud.

Before she could try again the door opened and she heard him slip in.

“I promised you hot stones,” he said with a collect and pleasant voice. “Ready?”

“Mhmm,” she mumbled.

She heard a container being set down and she had to fight the urge to pick up her head and peek. Just then the speakers in the room turned on and the ambient sound of a gurgling creek whispered and mumbled in the air and into her ears.

 _Just relax, Poppy! Relaaaaax…_ She told herself, smiling with the soft sounds.

A light touch on her back made her tense for a moment.

“I’m pulling off the sheet now, ready?”

She nodded and the sheet pulled back, stopping right at the end of her spine before her glutes. He was always so considerate, warning her each time.

Oiled, large warm hands touched her back and she shuddered, letting out a loud sigh as he began working the oil into her skin and warming it up. She let out an incoherent coo as he started to massage her rigid shoulders and his fingers gently flowed down her back like water.

She was starting to feel drowsy already as his fingers worked every nook and cranny of her sore muscles along the length of her spine.

Poppy didn’t even register when he finished readying her back and asked her if she was ready for the first stone. She just quietly mumbled in agreement and heard a soft chuckle that made her smile. She felt the first orb of heat land over the folded sheet over her buttocks, pressing into the last vertebra of her spine.

The warmth just melted in...seeping in like she was sinking into a soothing hot bath. She could hardly hear him as he asked if it was too hot. She only moaned softly as she felt herself starting to doze off into a serene slumber as one after the other a little pathway of stones climbed up her back and radiated warmth deep into her skin, seeping into her chest. She didn’t even notice when she had slipped into sleep.

Creek gazed down at her, his expression neutral as he listened to the sleeping pace of her heart echo in the room as he set down another stone between her shoulders.

His lean long fingers gently brushed her pink hair away from her ear as he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“Poppy?”

Only the soft muffled snores of her breathing answered him.

He pulled his head up, and brushed her hair over her shoulder. His face leaned toward her neck, taking in a deep breath of her sweet virgin scent, teasing his nose and he snarled softly. A red glow birthed and radiated from his blue irises, consuming the deep blue in a red fire as his pupils dilated and slitted.

There was just that itching, the shifting in his mouth as he opened his jaws wide as his fangs lengthened. He restrained the rest of his transformation with no effort as he took another deep breath, feeling his ravenous hunger surge to the surface, furious it was not being sated and appalled by the amount of disgusting human food he had consumed that day. His stomach clenching with the bile but he knew he would calm it soon.

Poppy was always easy prey. She never failed to be a good meal, especially on the days he could convince her to curb her sugar addiction.

His mouth pressed into the side of her neck but it was no attempt to kiss her, he cared for no such niceties when she was finally under.

Creek’s tongue brushed out, coating her skin with his venom, deadening the sensitive skin with a soft pleasing aesthesis. He breathed on her, listening to her heart not pick up in pace with his sensitive hearing.

Smirking he leaned in, one hand holding her hair back and the other firmly holding her shoulder as his fangs finally sunk into what they had been craving all day.

Her skin split under the points of his fangs like a sweet ripe fruit, and like good food, the hot blood gushed into his mouth instantly, not a single drop spilling.

He groaned and took his time to savor his meal and decided he would not be having a ‘snack’ today as the blood coated and drained down his throat and into his body, renewing the internal heat of his cold figure. She would be his full meal, it just meant she would be faint a little while but she would have a week to recover, he wasn’t worried.

Nothing could compare to this kind of boutique, even if it was particularly sweet, but he didn’t care, not when _power_ coursed through it. Sweet and rejuvenating, growing his strength...

He paid special attention to the sound of her heart and the heat of her skin even as let himself drown in his feeding. It would be an uncultured pain if he accidentally killed her, as if that would even happen.

He kept drinking, slowly, in no rush, the fire in his throat smothered.

As he heard the slight change in modulation in her heartbeat a few minutes later he slowed down, retracting his fangs but not removing his mouth as he sucked up the last few drops. He coated the puncture wounds with the toxins on his tongue till the flow completely stopped and his stomach felt hot and full, satisfied. The heat he had stolen from her warming even the tips of his fingers with renewed flush till his skin glowed healthy again and the cold radiating from his core subsided.

The remaining surging energy swirling inside as he suppressed it for later.

His mouth broke away, her neck unmarked and unsoiled with blood.

Well… there _was_ a mark, shimmering little circles that no human eye could ever see but was visible to the eyes of vampires to show she was claimed. As if Creek would ever share his prey, his property and future bride, which is why he fed on her at least once a week even if she wasn’t going to be his complete meal that week. She did need to recover, he needed her after all...

Pulling up he licked his lips and the red glow died, settling back into an eerie deep blue.

Creek snorted with derision as he stared at the foolish girl laying there so vulnerable to him, so trusting.

Everything was going according to plan. He just had to be patient and take it slowly. Reveal himself at just the right moment, when he was sure of her every answer to his requests.

He would have his bride, power at his reach and solely for him, and _he_ would have strong heirs...

Creek turned away and got some more oil for his hands so he could massage her neck and make sure she was never the wiser to her fate.

_For now._

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m taking Fuzzbert out for a walk!” Poppy called over her shoulder, opening the front door.

“This late? Are you sure? You were dead tired when you came back home, are you sure you don’t want to rest some more? I could take him out for you,” her father suggested from the living room.

“Nah, it’s fine, Dad, I’m feeling a little more awake now,” she replied, “Fuzzbert needs extra attention. Be back in a bit!”

Before her father could argue with her, Poppy was out the door, zipping her coat a little tighter around herself.

The weather was getting chillier and chillier with each passing day, and the nights were even worse.

She shivered as she held onto Fuzzbert’s leash, letting him pull her in whatever direction he wanted to go. The poor dog hadn’t gotten his daily evening exercise earlier because Poppy, as per usual after getting a massage, had promptly crashed on the couch and slept for a few hours. She was feeling more lethargic than usual today, too, though perhaps it was because of the lack of sugar she’d had...yeah that was probably it.

Fuzzbert trotted ahead of her, going around the house to the back around the fence, where a large field lay.

Trollton was located in the center of a valley surrounded by fields from all sides, and the grassland that encircled the small town was itself enclosed by a vast, untamed forest that looked quite menacing at night.

Fuzzbert started to yip at something and tugged on the leash, leading a tired Poppy further into the fields and closer to the woods. Fuzzbert was using his nose like a hound dog as he chased after moles and mice.

Before Poppy knew it, Fuzzbert had dragged her straight to the edge of the forest. The thick branches of the evergreens blocked much of the moon’s light, making it seem like she were staring into a black void. Poppy was honestly much too tired to be scared, and in her tired mind was thinking she was quite the grown up to not be bothered by dark shadows and creepy looking trees.

Fuzzbert suddenly stiffened, staring in a certain direction with his ears perked. Poppy blinked down at him.

“What is it, boy?” she asked. “A rabbit? A turtle?”

Fuzzbert let out a small whine, slowly backing away with his tail between his legs. Poppy started to feel uneasy... perhaps there was a coyote, or a mountain lion that he could see and she could not.

But before she could call for Fuzzbert to get them to go back home, a hideous snarl echoed through the air. Poppy flinched, backing up as she saw two red orbs in the distance shoot towards her. A black shape with the two red orbs collided into another larger black figure, tugging it to the ground. The larger creature—a deer—let out a cry as it was tackled only a few yards away and the most hideous noise ensued, the sound of tearing flesh followed by slurping.

Poppy couldn’t move. She was frozen, her feet rooted to the ground in petrified fear. Fuzzbert had vanished, running back to the house as fast as his little legs could carry him, yipping in fear.

Those red eyes, though not visible now, burned in Poppy’s mind. _What was that? What sort of creature_ was _that?!_

She slowly dug her phone out of her pocket and switched on the flashlight. Perhaps it was because she was so tired she wasn’t thinking clearly, or perhaps it was some other reason she wasn’t aware of, but whatever caused her to finally move her feet _closer_ to the horrifying noises was beyond all sense and reason. Her feet shuffled forward cautiously, stepping around bushes to get a clearer view of whatever creature it was that had fire for eyes.

She squinted in the dark as the light of her flashlight landed on—

_A blue hoodie?!_

“What… who is that? What are you doing?” Poppy cried. The hooded figure jerked his head up at the sound of her voice and turned its head in her direction.

_Red eyes._

_Fire._

_Unnatural._

_Hungry._

Poppy nearly dropped her phone in shock as the figure scrambled up and vaulted over the deer, and with a speed unlike anything she’d ever seen, vanished into the forest.

Poppy was once again rooted to the ground, frozen with fear and shock at what she’d just seen.

...What _had_ she just seen?

It had been a human, that was obvious enough... but those _eyes…_

Those weren’t mere contact lenses, nor a mere trick of the light. Poppy could feel what those eyes projected... she felt the coldness of its gaze yet the fire of its hunger, penetrating her skin.

That was no human. At least no... _natural_ human. Was it a ghost? Some sort of devilish spirit?

Tentatively, Poppy managed to uproot her feet from the ground and approached the

deer. She glanced at the dead creature before the light of her flashlight caught something by its hooves.

A wallet.

Poppy reached down her hand and grabbed the wallet, picking it up from the ground. She shined her phone’s flashlight at it, opening it up to see what was inside.

_Wait.... what?!_

She stared at the photographs attached inside, recognizing the face of one of the children immediately. She glanced at the driver’s license and her eyes peeled open in shock at the name. She slowly looked away to the deer, shining her flashlight on the poor creature. Revulsion churned her stomach and Poppy wanted to vomit.

Its throat was a mangled bloody mess, as though it had been attacked by some wild animal.

But... that _hadn’t_ been a wild animal. Unless it was some sort of bear and maybe the shadows had merely made it _look_ like a human… that wore a hoodie...

 _But those eyes,_ she thought, swallowing. _Those weren’t human eyes but weren’t even animal eyes either, they... looked like they were on **fire**._

All she knew was that the figure had ran off immediately once it knew she was there.

And had Rosalind Puffrey’s, Branch’s grandmother's, wallet.

Why did... _he,_ whoever he—or she—was, have her _wallet_?? Poppy was so confused!! Didn’t Ms. Puffrey die nearly twelve years ago in a car accident?

Questions were spinning around Poppy’s brain, as well as complete bewilderment and shock numbing her fingers.

Slowly, almost automatically, she clicked open her phone and clicked the name of the only person she could think to call in that moment, pressing the ‘dial’ with a trembling finger. Rose was best friends with Thistle, after all, even worked with him…

Poppy put the phone to her ear with a shaky hand and listened to the dial tone ringing in her eardrums. Three rings and she finally heard the click of the line being picked up.

_“Hey, Poppy, I’m kind of busy right—,”_

“ROSE, Rose, oh my god, Rose please I just saw—Thistle’s grandma—wallet—eyes—,” it all came out in a torrent of words that even Poppy wasn’t sure what she said. She just babbled the only coherent thoughts she had in her mind, not able to focus on a single thing.

 _“Poppy, slow down!”_ Rose’s voice suddenly came through, pitched with sudden worry. _“Start from the top, take a deep breath…”_

Poppy sucked in the biggest breath she’d ever taken, trying to calm herself down.

“Rose… I found… a wallet,” she said slowly, “Belonging to Thistle’s… grandma.”

_“... Are… you sure?”_

“YES, it has pictures of Thistle and Branch as little kids in it and the driver’s license says ROSALIND PUFFREY,” Poppy shrieked, “But that’s not the weirdest thing, no, no, I think I’m going CRAZY, maybe I’m going completely BATSHIT crazy, because I JUST SAW THIS DUDE WITH RED GLOWING EYES!!”

That definitely sounded crazy when Poppy said it out loud.

Silence came from the end and it seemed to tick for seconds on end. Poppy swallowed, taking in a deep breath.

“I know that sounds _really_ crazy, but I… I _swear_ I saw it, Rose. I was taking Fuzzbert for a walk… I heard a noise in the woods and—and I saw this… I saw these two red eyes and… Guah, I don’t know how to describe it, but whatever it was it TACKLED A DEER BEFORE MY EYES AND NOW I’M STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT AND IT’S DEAD AND I FOUND THIS WALLET AND—,”

 _“Poppy,”_ the voice that came out was masculine, commanding, stern. Intimidating. It wasn’t Rose’s voice by miles. _“Where are you **right now?** ”_

“Who the heck is this, where’s Rose?” Poppy cried, shaking.

 _“Poppy, you’re on speaker. I’m sorry, but Thistle was getting anxious,”_ Rose apologized in an instant. _“Now, where are you?”_ she asked with strained calmness in comparison to the other voice.

“I… okay. Uhm,” Poppy swallowed, trying to focus her jumbled thoughts. “Well, um. I’m just in the edge of the woods just a little ways from my house.”

 _“Are you hurt?”_ Thistle’s voice demanded.

“N-no, I’m fine! I’m fine, perfectly fine, just... shaken up! The… red eyed thingy didn’t… do anything, it just ran away.”

 _“Poppy, I need you to listen to me carefully,”_ he started, his voice evening out but not losing all its brusqueness. _“Are you listening?”_

 _“Stop scaring her, Thistle,”_ Rose hissed faintly through the speaker but he didn’t reply.

“I’m listening, I’m listening,” Poppy immediately spoke up.

_“I need you to go back home. Right. Now. Close your doors and do not leave for any reason till we get there, understood?”_

“I... are you saying I’m not crazy or have I completely lost it? _”_ Poppy asked weakly, feeling her knees tremble.

There was silence again on the other end and finally Thistle’s voice came out but it was softer than before. _“You’re not crazy, I can’t say more than that. Please listen to me, get back home. Lock your doors and your windows. Hold on to that wallet. Don’t tell anyone else what you saw, understood? We’ll be there by morning.”_

Shuffling sounded from the other end like someone was getting up from a couch.

 _“Poppy?”_ Rose whispered worried.

“If—,” Poppy broke out of her trance and began to walk as quickly as she could back home, “If I’m not crazy… then what the _hell_ did I just see?”

_“Poppy just do what Thistle said, okay? I can’t tell you right now, all I can say is if you don’t listen to us the same thing—”_

_“Rose!”_ yelled a voice in the distance through the speakers.

 _“Sorry, Poppy, I have to go. Hang tight, I’ll see you in the morning. Text or call me if anything happens, and don’t tell anyone about this, got it?”_ she said briskly and the line suddenly went dead.

Poppy stared at the phone but kept up her brisk walk, those red eyes burned into her vision. She pocketed her phone and the green wallet in her hand and then took off in a sprint across the field, checking behind her shoulder to the dark forest every few seconds.

“Wait— _Fuzzbert,_ oh my god where’s my dog?!” Poppy shrieked, stopping at the edge of the fence surrounding her backyard. “FUZZBERT! FUZZBERT, HERE BOY! HERE, BOY! FUZZBERT!!”

Poppy felt tears well up in her eyes as she whirled her head around, searching for her dog. She ran around to the front of the house, but didn’t see him. Panic gripped her.

“FUZZBERT!” she nearly screamed. The front door suddenly opened and, to Poppy’s immense relief, Fuzzbert was there in the arms of her very worried father.

“Poppy, what’s going on?!” Peppy frowned, “Fuzzbert showed up here acting crazy and scared, and when you didn’t show up I was getting worried!”

“Dad! Dad, thank god, oh thank god,” Poppy rushed towards her father and gave him the biggest bone crushing hug she could. “Oh gosh, I was so scared, you won’t _believe_ what I saw—,”

 _Don’t tell anyone else what you saw, understood?_ Thistle’s voice rang in her ears and come to think of it, how _could_ Poppy explain to her father what she’d just seen?!

“You saw what?” Peppy asked, extremely concerned. “What did you see, was it a coyote? Bear? Mountain lion?”

“It—It… yeah, it was a mountain lion!” Poppy lied, immediately feeling guilty about it but tried her best to keep up her act. “The thing was freaking _huge_ , it scared me half to death!!”

Normally Poppy would have considered herself a horrible liar, but the adrenaline and terror shooting through her was enough to convince her father as he frowned deeply.

“...Damn it, I’ll have to tell the sheriff there’s a mountain lion in the area,” Peppy muttered under his breath. “It’s good you weren’t hurt, now come inside. Quickly.”

Poppy didn’t need to be told twice as her father ushered her inside the house. Poppy quickly locked the door behind her, then ran to the back door in the kitchen to lock that too. She then proceeded, to her father’s bewilderment, to check all the windows and make sure they were locked.

“I don’t think a mountain lion is going to get through a closed window, Poppy,” he said, reaching out for her after she locked the small kitchen window above the sink. Poppy flinched when he touched her shoulder, her heart racing a mile a minute. He saw how scared she looked, and oh how Poppy wished she could talk to the calmest person she knew right about now, but Rose’s and Thistle’s warning still echoed in her mind.

_Don’t tell anyone._

_Don’t tell anyone._

_Red eyes._

_Hunger._

“Poppy?”

Poppy snapped her head up, eyes wide. Peppy was looking at her with extreme worry.

“I... think…” Poppy said hoarsely, “I think I’m just going to go to bed…”

“...Alright,” Peppy said uncertainly. “If you need anything just tell me. Okay?”

“‘Kay, Dad,” Poppy said quietly.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Peppy added before Poppy could walk off, “I’m leaving town on Saturday. I’ll only be gone for about five days... will you be alright on your own?”

Poppy tensed, those red eyes flashing into her mind’s eye again.

“I… I think I can manage,” she croaked, feigning a grin. Peppy seemed satisfied with her answer and wrapped her in a hug.

“That’s my strong girl. Goodnight, Poppy,” he said, kissing her forehead.

“Night, Dad,” Poppy replied before turning around and leaving the kitchen and her father staring after her with a bit of vexed.

 She slowly trudged up the stairs to her room and walking through the open door. She slowly closed her bedroom door and locked it, before rushing to the windows and locking them, too. She sat heavily on her bed and slowly laid down among her stuffed animals, her eyes wide open.

She would not be getting much sleep that night.


	6. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically the same, just a few edits.

 

* * *

 

Bare feet landed softly in an alleyway and keen eyes glanced about him warily. Making sure his hood was securely over his head, Branch slowly crept forward towards a door. He glanced at the security cameras but had no fear of being spotted, having destroyed them in a similar fashion to the one at the hospital just the night before.

The moon had risen for a while now and the streets were quiet.

His mind was still swirling with the encounter with the other vampire earlier in the day, he had to distract himself. Keep himself sane and from screaming at the top of his lungs…

He quickly grabbed the door handle and paused, counting in his head.

 _One… two… three!!_ Branch yanked the door off its hinges and the alarm immediately started blaring. He bolted into the building and into the storage room, his eyes moving quickly until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the box and ran back the way he came.

He was in and out of the building in thirty seconds.

Branch launched into the air and landed on a roof, quickly running back.

towards the forest clutching the stolen box in his hands tightly. A minute later, he was back in the welcoming embrace of the forest’s shadows, his prize in his hands. He glanced at the cover of the box to double check he’d gotten the right one.

 _Oak AcurBook 15.4’’ 2.9GHz  Quad-Core u7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz._ He checked the back and was satisfied to read it came with a partition option and the specs were to his liking, it was the top shelf model, surprising they had any here in this small town.

Branch hugged the box safely to his chest before he took off running again, making it to his bunker in near record time. He pushed past the vines hiding the steps and quickly descended, pushing open the metal door and then closing it behind him.

His throat was burning more than ever now. All the running he’d been doing hadn’t helped in the least and the deer blood he’d drunk last night apparently hadn’t been enough to hold him for twenty four hours. He put the computer in his work room before heading back out, planning on checking his traps for any deer that had wandered into them.

Once Branch was outside again he glanced around, narrowing his eyes. He sniffed heavily, breathing in the scent of the forest. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet something was slightly amiss... he couldn’t place his finger on it.

Deciding to ignore it for now, Branch took off to check his first trap, the one closest to his bunker. The sky was clear and full of stars, and the sounds of the forest were quiet in the November air. No crickets chirruped and no birds called out to one another. There was only him and the cold air, which rushed past him like daggers digging into his skin.

He reached the first trap relatively soon, and was surprised-yet-unsurprised to find it empty. He moved on to the next one, only to discover that one was empty, too.

He checked the third—also empty.

Empty.

Empty.

_Empty._

Branch found himself staring at his last trap, wanting to scream when he found this one was empty, too, but swallowed back his cry of frustration. He closed his eyes and allowed the scent of the forest to fill his nostrils, smelling for any living creature that may be nearby.

Oh.

 _That’s_ what had been missing before—Branch was a complete _idiot!!_

 _The deer have migrated,_ he realized in horror. He knew deer had certain habits of avoiding certain areas where danger was most common, but that was why he had his traps spread so far and wide around the area, sometimes miles apart. But not a single one was full and not a single fresh scent was in the air. The deer had moved.

Branch’s throat was on fire. He coughed, trying to swallow his saliva to satiate the burning feeling temporarily, but it only made it worse.

“There’s gotta be something…” he croaked to himself. He took off running again, letting his nose lead him, not caring where as long as it wasn’t a human’s scent he caught. He wove through the trees, trying to find a hint of a scent, just something, _anything._

Branch grounded to a halt a little while later, and sucked in another large gulp of forest air. The air whistled pointlessly into his lungs, stirring nothing, no response. But the wind over his tongue brought the sharp tastes of the forest below and through his nose he caught the slightest of smells.

The peaty earth as it smelled after rain, the moisture still lingering and creating fresh rot from old fallen leaves and small dead things. The scent of small rodents, gamy, disgusting much like the stench of birds and the oil they preened their feathers with. They all smelled unappealing, tasteless, yet the fire burned in his throat till each breath was ragged and painful.

Finally… something warmer and a little more appealing washed over his senses as he took another painful breath of air from where he stood under the light of the silver crescent moon.

Glowing blue eyes shot wide open and pierced the forest floor below, searching. Pricked ears sharp and alert as he listened to the quiet rustling of the leaves, the quiet stirrings, and the brushing of the woods…

A heartbeat.

Loud and beating, muscles contracting and the soft swishing of what his instincts burned to devour.

Blood.

Gritting his teeth he could fight the urge no longer and lowered his stance, ready to take off. The unnatural strength surged through his limbs and let him fly through the air as he vaulted forward.

He wondered when was the last time he had not held back?

He could not feel the fear now nor the desire to restrain himself. Just the maddening hunger, the burning, the crippling pain taking his muscles and the slipping of his thoughts as he fell into the primal instincts of the hunt.

He was a blur as he shot forward and the forest began to rush in constant motion as Branch ran with a speed he dared not contain now. His hunger was palatable, suffocating… if his heart could still beat he was sure it would be racing.

His eyes darted to the left, glowing sharp red as the figure bolted as danger stirred the air.

Branch was faster.

He halted, spun and turned on a dime and his feet pounded against the earth as he chased his quarry.

The sound of fresh pumping, hot blood was almost palpitating in his ears. His mouth watering.

The four legged beast sped away as quickly as it could through the wood. In the moonlight one of its brown eyes turned to look back.

The ranks stench of fear cloyed the sweet scent of his desire.

Branch’s mouth stretched open, elongated canines glinting as he snarled and finally he pushed his body for that last rush.

He was fast. Faster than the doe as he crashed into the soft weak body in comparison to his own. His fingers curled and his claws sunk in as the poor creature let out a shocked wail and hit the earth. He could feel its heat… emanating through its skin so sharply in contrast to the cold that had long been normal for his body.

The creature thrashed. It was pitiful and weak, even starving and could not compare to its predator’s strength.

Mind racing, Branch snarled and lunged forward. Weak flesh caving before his fangs. Tearing, soft skin and muscle that ripped easily and sent a disgusting sense of sweet satisfaction rushing through his mind. The pulsing at his lips at the artery thrummed heavily and the sweet reward finally spilled an instant later, hot, cloying, edged with foul fear souring the taste of a fine bouquet that in all honestly was a pale imitation to what his body actually craved.

But he didn’t care as he groaned, sweetness and warmth bathing his tongue and finally promising the maddening hunger relief. Saturating his mouth was filled quickly and the fine red wine even spilled past his lips, dripping down his jaw.

He closed his eyes, settling their red harshness behind his eyelids and allowed himself to fall prey to the sweet bliss of drinking.

It was like a fog, clouding his mind as he swallowed ravenously. The heat spilling down his throat, into his gullet, calming the fierce burning in his throat and settling in his stomach. It was the best kind of fire, spreading into every fiber of his being till he felt he was almost alive again… like his heart might beat once more from silence.

A hoof kicked into his side and raked down his back but his body was rigid and unyielding, not even feeling any pain. The deer was so weak… so fragile as his body pinned the larger creature down and his fingers squeezed around its neck, urging more of the liquid to spill as he quickly swallowed and his face was stained. Crushing the breath of the creature till it gasped it’s last… the last rhythmic beat of its pumping heart stilling… a chill pervading through its blood where heat had once burned and honeyed against his tongue.

Snap!

His ears twitched and his eyes began to open. Was… something moving out in the forest at this hour of night? What animal was stupid enough to come close to something as dangerous as he? Their senses must be dull and his mind was slow to react, enjoying his meal for once in peace rather than the disgust he usually felt.

“What… who is that? What are you doing?” asked a sharp and fearful voice.

Just like that his mind snapped. Branch gasped, ripping his teeth out with haste from the still body, hot salty blood dribbling down his lips and glowing with the harsh red light of his eyes.

His scarlet eyes turned to glance back in horror at the voice he recognized that sent his heart plummeting into his chest. That made him remember where he was, what he was doing… what he was.

A light was shining his way, burning straight into the retinas of the slit pupils of his eyes. He didn’t think, he leapt in horror, trying to contain his scream in his chest and he tripped over the carcass in his haste. He shoved hard against the ground and bolted, rushing for the darkness as swiftly as he could wish he could feel the racing of his heart rather than just the terror clawing through his mind.

_Why!?_

Why did it have to be _her_?! Did she see him? What would he do now?!

His hunger lingered, burning in his throat as he ran, unsated.

The dead deer left behind, it’s throat and brown fur torn savagely by bite marks creating bleeding rivets of pink flesh and leaking blood. Unknown to Branch, his grandmother’s wallet was left behind among the upturned leaves and soil by the beast’s still front hooves.

 


	7. Hunter's Vendetta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter at the first half was rewritten and has some significant differences in terms of the opening perspective. There are other differences sprinkled about the second half.

 

* * *

 

Turbulence, that was the word that could perfectly describe his mind.

Not even the numbing of the drive, of feeling his truck humming around him alive, was enough to calm his racing thoughts.

His grandmother’s wallet…

A twelve-year-old mystery and nightmare resurging into existence.

Not that he would admit it, but it was by the least worst surprise or shitty hand had dealt him on his damn birthday. The fucking date was just as cursed as his damn left shoulder.

He wondered, would he finally get his answers?

What happened to his brother…

What really happened, and not what had been speculated.

Would he finally know? He didn’t dare hope.

But he wanted to, he wanted his pointless existence finally given the reason he had been craving for since his childhood. Then he could finally meet Branch again, that is if death was not simply a dark release…

He hoped not. He had to hope there was something _after_. He wanted to apologize to him, just hug his brother one last time...

Thistle swallowed, the tension in the car cabin killing him. The waves of agitation coming from his right was not helping, the rest he was well aware were his own doing. He had been fuming in a thunder of black negative emotions the moment Poppy had mentioned the wallet over the phone.

He had snatched Rose’s phone away to put it on speaker, and usually she would have complained but in that moment, she let it happen without a second thought. He had to be grateful but he still hadn’t found the calm to do that.

They had been sitting on the couch in his house, watching a movie since Carter had ditched them for drinks. He couldn’t be more relieved she had been home, ready to leave at a moment’s notice and his partner by his side.

He had to thank her too for that… for dropping everything and restarting this pointless mission he had done once before.

But this time, _this time_ , he had a _lead._

The engine of the Terradyne Gurkha RPV hummed quietly even from the inside of the spacious armored all-terrain vehicle and then there was a slight bounce that ramped up the suspension and from the corner of his eyes he he saw her shift slightly.

She hadn’t slept, and they had been driving all night. Hell, he hadn’t slept, not like he could at the moment.

The sun’s light starting to spill over the horizon as they drove north. They had been driving all night after packing their equipment in a haste, then they had started the long eight hour drive to Trollton.

All in silence.

He didn’t mind it, he needed it honestly. But now he broke it, his mind still whirling, still visualising every angle and scenario when he got his hands on the bloodsucker.

“Does she still live at the same address?” he asked, faint memories of his childhood surfacing and they were far and few in between.

Rose tensed as the first sound broke the hours of long silence and she turned her emerald green gaze on him.

Her eyes studied his rigid chiseled jaw, his high cheek bones, the iciness of his blue eyes, the black hair sweeping up towards the front of his head… He could feel it and he tried not to grimace as she watched him for so long as if she was trying to decrypt his thoughts.

“Yeah, she does,” Rose replied tersely.

Thistle glanced at Rose for the first time in hours, still finding her lithe frame sitting in the same position leaning against the steel reinforced door. One leg over the other, her dark jeans, the black steel-toed boots, the tactical knife and gun holster on her waist.

They hadn’t put on their armor yet but they were already suited for trouble. Except her auburn hair wasn’t tied up like she usually did before a hunt, but lose in a wavy cascades that made it to her shoulder blades.

She would tie up her hair later, he knew that. They would suit up… he broke the thought off before he got more violent urges running through his blood as he gripped the steering wheel hard.

“Think it’s a Pureblood?” she suddenly asked.

“I don’t know,” he grimaced looking ahead again and the miles of highway still stretched out before them. They were only about a few more hours from their destination.

“Sounds like it might be close to being an Esurient,” she muttered worried.

“If what Poppy said is true… maybe. But obviously not yet.”

“Of course, not yet,” Rose scoffed. “If it was…”

“Poppy would be dead,” he finished for her and at the edge of his vision he saw her flinch and bite her lip.

“Sorry,” he muttered. He really ought to mind his damn words, but right now it was hard.

“We didn’t report to the Society, to your dad—”

“We’re not telling them shit,” Thistle cut in harshly, his hands gripping the steering wheel harder. They didn’t fucking need too, he didn't need the system and his dad getting in the way of their vendetta. “Not yet, at least.”

It wasn’t like they couldn’t operate on their own.

Rose snorted. “You’re acting rash, Thistle.”

His brow twitched into a scowl.

“This is personal,” he growled quietly, his eyes narrowing. “Not like my father would give a shit anyways. We’re doing this on our own, it’s nothing we can’t handle,” he said with certainty.

Rose’s eyes narrowed and she picked up her phone again off her lap as Thistle fell silent again. Nothing from Poppy yet, but it was five in the morning now that they were in the same time zone.

Rose was worried for her old friend, how was she going to explain all this to Poppy? So far she had managed to keep her in the dark about this part of her life… maybe she could convince her not to ask. Rose snorted knowing that was impossible knowing Poppy.

As she thought about Poppy her mind drifted to their days as children. Much simpler times. Before Poppy, Thistle and Branch had been her only friends, more like her family. And she had been closest to Thistle due to their same age and similar traumatic pasts… Rose had been a _very_ angry and violent child back then, but that hadn’t stopped Poppy from trying to be her friend. When the younger girl had finally broken through Rose’s angry exterior…

Rose smiled.

They had never stopped being friends even after she had left Trollton before even Thistle to start her Hunter’s training. Poppy and her had sent each other letters till they got their first phones and the taste of the internet. They had never stopped talking since.

She decided to quickly send a text, worried about how much sleep her friend might have gotten...or worse, if the monster has tracked her home. ‘Poppy, we’re almost there. We should be there around 7 or 8 am.’ Send.

She got an immediate response from Poppy, to her surprise.

_‘Okay.’_

She put the phone down with a sigh.

“Thistle… if it is…”

“I don’t want to talk about it Rose, please,” he said turning his gaze on her and he knew she could see the turmoil in them and she fell silent on that subject at least.

“If it is a Pureblood we need to be smart about this,” she insisted carefully. “We’ll—”

“We’re the best Hunters there are in our generation, Rose. We’ll be fine,” he asserted, cutting her off. Damn, was he being short and rude today…

He realized, yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to fix his fuse. It was too much right now.

 _Technically, that would be you…_ she thought, staring at him. She knew she was nothing past exceptional when it came to being a Hunter with her high intelligence and skill when it came to using weapons and martial arts, Thistle was a prodigy however.

Only her medicinal skills could be considered of a prodigy, she honestly should be in a lab. But she would rather be here… making sure Thistle didn’t get himself killed. She hated to think it, but she wasn’t blind, he was doom prone, someone had to keep him alive even if he didn’t want to be live.

She sighed and decided not to argue with her partner.

Instead she thought on their last mission somewhere in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where they had hunted a coven of three bloodsuckers for two weeks across the national park killing hikers in apparent ‘bear maulings’.

She snorted, reminiscing.

“Remember that Pureblood in New York?” Thistle suddenly asked, his thoughts having wandered after her words. Thinking on each one he had killed.

“Everyone knows New York is a haven for vampires, Thistle,” Rose snorted looking over at him. “Which one?”

“The one that counts,” he amended, his blue eyes distant as he remember that first real hunt as graduated Hunters. “Remember how we took it down?” he smirked just the slightest at the memory.

She chuckled. “Yeah I remember, it made you legendary in the Society overnight. Practically a rock star. If only killing werewolves did the same thing,” she snorted.

“ _Us_ , Rose. It made _us_ legendary,” he corrected adamantly. “I wouldn’t have been able to kill it if it hadn’t been for you,” he stated grimly turning those steely serious blue eyes on her. “If it wasn’t for you in the first place I would have almost died like with that first Pureblood we fought all those years ago.”

Rose felt blush run up to her face and she turned away frowning. “We got lucky back then, a pair of sixteen year olds should never have been fighting a Pureblood to begin with.”

“Yeah, but we did, and you saved us both with that bomb you rigged up. And you stitched me up and made sure I didn’t die,” he reminded her, a slow ache running up his shoulder.

He remember that day _very_ well. His suicidal prone antics had been far more out of control back then, he had to admit. Not that the status quo had changed much.

Rose half closed her eyes and stayed quiet, she could remember it like it was yesterday. It had been their first official hunt, their graduation hunt into full fledged members of the Hunter’s Order. As well as their first mission as Hunter partners.

Hunter’s always worked in pairs if not squads, sometimes with only the same partner for life. Like them.

That mission, by some erroneous mistake on the Society’s part, they had been sent after an Esurient Pureblood instead of a Turned, almost resulting in both their deaths and their first shred of fame afterwards when they had narrowly escaped a gruesome fate and killed it. It had made them the youngest Hunters to ever kill a Pureblood. It had all been a stroke of sheer dumb luck in Rose’s opinion.

“We’ll be fine,” Thistle repeated again looking at the road with narrowed thoughts, having been sharing the same thoughts. “I know that because I have you by my side, there’s no better partner in the world.”

Rose gulped and she hoped he was right. She hoped even if some cynical part of her brain told her not to. She couldn’t even feel flattered at the moment with his faith in her or his honesty.

“What are you going to do to it, if it’s the one?” she asked quietly and dared to look up.

Thistle snarled, gritting his teeth as the bloodlust resurfaced he had been fighting for hours.

The look of livid rage on Thistle's face was more frightening than the look of any vampire or monster they had ever fought together. It was all consuming. Black.

“I’m going to make it suffer through hell,” he snarled.

Silence befell the cabin again.

 

 

* * *

 

Poppy had not slept a wink. She’d laid in bed for hours and hours, flinching at every noise. Every creak of wood sounded like a growl, and every gust of wind sounded like a roar.

Sleep continued to evade her even as the sun began to rise.

Her phone buzzed suddenly, startling her yet she quickly dove for it. Rose had texted her what time she would be there and Poppy quickly replied with an “Okay” before setting her phone back down.

Her father would leave for work by then, so there wouldn’t be the issue of explaining why her old friend from elementary school and _that_ friend’s friend were suddenly at their door. At least not yet.

Poppy decided to get up, since sleep refused to beckon her. She pushed the covers off herself and slipped into her fuzzy slippers, tying a pink fluffy bathrobe around herself. She timidly unlocked her bedroom door and ever so slowly opened it, peering out through the crack.

The hallway was empty. Poppy opened it fully and stepped out and hugging her arms for comfort. She tiptoed down the hall to the stairs, careful to not make a noise as she crept down the carpeted steps.

She made it to the kitchen without an issue, where the first thing she did was make herself a large container of coffee. She was going to need it.

She scooped in more coffee grounds than what was probably necessary into the filter and filled the water tub, then turned on the coffee maker. It brewed slowly and as she waited, she dug a bagel out of a bag next to the breadbox and started to munch.

The coffee maker finally beeped and she helped herself to a large steaming cup of coffee, which she promptly firehosed in french vanilla creamer. The coffee warmed Poppy up to the core, comforting her somewhat. 

Poppy checked her phone. 5:30am.

Rose had better come soon… though what on _earth_ she had in mind was beyond Poppy. Wasn’t she just a doctor?!

Fuzzbert padded over to Poppy and nudged her foot with a wet nose. Poppy looked down at Fuzzbert, though her mind was deep in thought.

“You know, Fuzz…” she said softly. “If I didn’t know any better… I would think that what I saw was a… was a _vampire.”_

And it made sense—the red eyes, the fangs, the fact it was drinking _blood from the neck of a deer!_ A vampire was the only logical answer Poppy could conclude with.

Fuzzbert only woofed in reply. She continued to eat and drink in silence, thinking this over in her mind. It made _sense…_ But she also couldn’t be absolutely certain. And if that thing really was a creature from mystical lore, why hadn’t it...well, _attacked_ her?

...Why hadn’t it attacked her?

6 AM, that was the hour the microwave read. How had she been standing there so long staring blankly at nothing?

Poppy’s phone buzzed and she picked it up a little too quickly, almost throwing it in the air. The name she saw sent uncertain feelings through her and disappointment.

Creek: _‘Poppy, r u alright? U didn’t text me last night like u promised. Don’t tell me my massage sucked u dry. ;)’_

 _Sucked me dry…._ Her mind flashed back to those red eyes but she shook her head, rubbing her face to clear her mind.

_I’m fine! Kinda. I saw a mountain lion while taking Fuzz on a walk so I was pretty freaked out the rest of the night,’ she typed back. ‘Don’t worry, im fine tho.’_

 Not a minute later her phone buzzed again.

 _‘Glad to hear you are alright.’_ The text message suddenly formal. _‘I’m sorry you got scared, beautiful. If you need another massage just come on over the moment I’m back in town. You know I’ll make time for you, okay?’_

Poppy smiled warmly at her boyfriend’s generosity.

_‘Thanks, I might hold you up to that…. Lord knows I need another stress reliever after what I saw. 0__0’_

_‘Anything for you love, I know it must have been bad if you’re up this early. I’m guessing you didn’t get any sleep, did you? Try to get some, promise?’_

_'When you see a mountain lion devouring a deer right before your eyes, sleep is hard to come by. I promise I’ll get some sleep later, tho.’_

_‘Good. Love you, Popps. Don’t go out in the woods again at night, k? Ttyl. xoxo’_

_‘Love you too Creeky and I promise, im never doing that again. XOXOXOXOXOXOXX <3 <3 ttyl’_

Poppy slowly set down her phone again, taking a giant gulp of her coffee. The warm liquid went straight to her stomach, making her sigh contentedly.

The momentary contentment quickly grew to unease and she picked up her phone again. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of what to say.

“You’re up early again,” her father’s voice startled her. Poppy jumped, swearing under her breath before turning to her dad.

“Yeah, had trouble sleeping last night. It’s fine though, I’m fine,” Poppy quickly brushed the matter aside. “Leaving for work?”

“Just let me get some coffee first,” Peppy chuckled, grabbing the large coffee pot and pouring some into a travel mug. “Try to sleep some more today, you look like you need it.”

“....’kay, Dad,” Poppy said quietly. Peppy took a swig of his black coffee and grabbed a bagel for himself.

“I’m off, see you tonight!” he called over his shoulder. Then he turned and straightened his back and was once again Mayor Peppy, one of the best mayors the town had ever had. Not to brag of course.

Poppy wished him farewell before turning back to her phone, finally punching in the message she wanted to send.

 _‘So how exactly are you planning on helping?_ ’ she typed. Her fingers hovered over the send button, frowning. She changed her mind and deleted it. Whatever plan Rose had, Poppy would find out when they got here.

* * *

 

Poppy did _not_ expect a giant black armored vehicle… _thing,_ to park in her driveway. She gaped from the window before rushing to the front door, unlocking it and swinging the door wide open.

Her eyes were apparently _not_ playing tricks on her as Rose stepped out—or rather jumped out—the large machine.

Poppy was speechless to say the least.

Her mouth dropped even further when she saw a burly, thick built man also step out of the vehicle on the other side. Her eyebrows raised.

 _That’s Thistle?!_ From the way Rose had often talked about him, she’d imagined him… Well, a lot different. Maybe less... _tall?_

And then… there was the fact they almost looked like military or some kind of special forces. Dark jeans, pitch black steel-toed boots. And good Lord! Were those swords on their hips or just really huge knives?! And… a gun holster on each hip, both of them wearing black shirts made of some kind of special material that was just the slightest bit glossy in the sunlight.

The man held back by the strange truck as Rose quickly trotted over, his blue eyes tracking them and their surroundings. Poppy swore they looked like they were glowing but maybe that was merely the morning light playing tricks on her tired eyes.

“Poppy!” Rose gasped relieved throwing her arms around the shorter girl, bringing her into a hug. “Are you alright?”

“...Um… fine… what are you _wearing?”_ Poppy pulled away from the hug and looked her up and down, “Is that a… what is that?” she pointed to the sword-dagger thing, looking up at her friend absolutely confused. “I’m… I’m lost, what’s going on?!”

Rose grimaced as she took a step back. “It’s… hard to explain,” she admitted.

Thistle walked up from behind Rose after locking the huge truck, towering as he looked down at a somewhat familiar face.

“Honestly, after what I saw last night, you could tell me Santa Claus was real and I would believe you,” Poppy said, hugging her arms again. “So… explain? Please?”

“You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you,” Thistle spoke up, trying to smile but it was like a scowl was permanently glued on his face. Nothing about him said ‘friendly’.

“And you apparently ate Arnold Schwarzenegger since I last saw ya,” Poppy raised an eyebrow at him. 

That managed to get a slight smirk to tug at his lips. “Still as sharp as ever, I—,” he suddenly stopped his eyes going wide as he stared at the shorter girl.

He stepped around Rose and leaned down, his broad shoulders suddenly blocking the view and his face inches from Poppy’s, his eyes wide as they stared at her neck and they seemed to glow… harsher? _Brighter?!_

“Uuuhh…” Poppy was unable to think of a response to this sudden close and awkward proximity, but Thistle drew away seemingly as soon as he’d come near.

“She’s been bitten,” he growled softly. “Recently. I’d say yesterday.”

“WHAT!?” Rose suddenly shrieked taking a step closer to check herself.

“Huh?” Poppy squinted. “Whaddya mean bit?”

Rose grabbed Poppy’s face and turned her face to the opposite side Thistle had been looking at. Poppy spluttered, wondering what the heck was going on and what they were talking about!

“Are you sure?!” Rose demanded looking desperately at her partner.

“More than sure,” he stated grimly. “And by the look of the scarring she’s been someone’s favorite snack for a while now,” he grumbled.

“....Excuse me? _What_ did you just call me?” Poppy was incredulous as she grabbed Rose’s wrists and pulled them away from her face. “Sorry, can someone just tell me _what_ the _FUCK_ is going on?!”

Rose let go of her friend’s face and turned a mortified look on Thistle.

He looked at her with a frown. “Look’s like you were right, we got a bigger problem on our hands here than we initially thought.”

“Than _you_ initially thought,” Rose corrected snidely.

He ignored her sharp words. “We have to tell her now.”

“That’s against the law!” Rose spat back.

“Too late, she’s seen too much and she’s some leech’s pet-food. She might get turned or killed if we leave her in the dark, the law is pretty clear to me here,” he argued back, stubbornly.

Rose groaned, her hand smacking her face and trying not to claw it. “Thistle… you of all people interpret the law a _little_ too freely,” she spat and looked at Poppy. “Can we come inside? We’ll explain what we can to you in there.”

“Y-yeah, yeah, come inside,” Poppy turned and led them through the front door. Her legs felt like rubber and her head was spinning over what she’d just heard.

She was someone’s _snack?_

_A leech’s pet-food?!_

_She’d been bitten?!_

_By what, a freaking—?_

… Oh.

“It’s vampires, isn’t it?!” Poppy whirled around and nearly screeched once Thistle had closed the door.

Thistle looked impressed as he walked in while Rose grimaced trying to find a way to deny the statement.

“You’re still sharp as ever,” Thistle commented while Rose still tried to think of what to say and shrieked at him to shut up. “Yes, vampires are real, and so are werewolves, banshees— _Omph!_ ” he coughed suddenly as Rose punched his side.

“Shut up, Theodore! She doesn’t need to _know_ that much! Are you trying to traumatize her?!” she spat.

“...In all fairness, I was already traumatized from last night. Now knowing werewolves exist too isn’t… Surprising?” Poppy said quietly. “I mean its by god _surprising_ like WHAT, but like… okay, I need to sit down,” Poppy plopped heavily into the living room couch, holding her head in her hands.

Rose groaned looking at Thistle as he straightened himself out, rubbing his side and tried not to glare at his partner sourly for the low dirty hit.

“Are you sure it’s not too late to erase her memories?” she asked hopefully, looking up into his eyes. He frowned.

Thistle turned his glowing blue gaze on Poppy and suddenly she couldn’t look away, the sensation…almost familiar as she drowned in the pulsing of those blue eyes. She felt frozen, trapped, and like a cold clammy sensation was shivering through her eyes, over her brain invading through it and then down into her spine.

He blinked and the spell was suddenly broken as he looked at Rose again.

“Yeah, it’s too late for me to wipe her memories. We’ll just have to tell her the truth.”

“Uh, sorry, _what the hell was that?_ ” Poppy seemed to have been crying that a lot lately, but that sudden experience had jarred her quite badly.

“Sorry, Poppy,” Thistle apologized sitting down himself across from her on a loveseat. He honestly saw no point not explaining _something_ to her. “Some Hunters, when we consume concentrated vampire blood, gain some of their basic abilities, like hypnotism and memory blanking but it’s very limited compared to what vampires can actually do,” he explained calmly.

Rose gritted her teeth and knew at this point she couldn’t shut Thistle up unless she knocked him out, which was not even possible at the moment.

Poppy could only stare.

“....’kay. That makes....sense? I guess?” she tugged the bottom of her lip uncertainly. “So what, you guys are like… _Vampire Hunters_ or something? I thought you were a doctor!” she cried, turning to Rose.

“Ugh,” Rose pinched her nose. “Technically I _am_ a doctor, but one for the Hunter Order. And no, we may primarily hunt vampires but we hunt other… things, too,” she said carefully.

“So basically, just ‘Hunters’,” Thistle said impassively.

“I see… um, you said I was _bit_ … I’m not gonna turn _into_ a vampire… am I?” Poppy asked her voice suddenly pitching an octave.

Rose decided to do her best and support her best friend as she plopped herself down next to Poppy and offered her hand. Poppy took it graciously and squeezed hard.

“No,” Rose explained calmly squeezing her hand back. “If you were turning you’d know it. It’s unbearably painful, some say like burning alive. In order for that to happen you need to have ingested the blood of a vampire and had their venom, which is their saliva, injected into your body, usually by their fangs. The two together catalyze and start the turning.”

“The point is though, what you saw last night was definitely a vampire, Poppy,” Thistle concluded grimly. “Probably the very same bloodsucker that killed my grandma and little brother,” he snarled his voice getting angrier with each word as he finally said it aloud.

Poppy was taken aback.

“What makes you say that? …WOAH, woah, woah, hold up, time out,” Poppy waved her arms, registering what Thistle said. “Branch… and your grandma… were killed by _vampires?!”_

Rose sighed and snatched Poppy’s hand again, patting it.

“Yes,” Thistle sighed leaning forward and folding his hands over his knees. “Twelve years ago, they were killed by vampires. You were all told it was a car accident, right?”

She nodded, eyes wide and fixed on him.

“Well, that was a cover up,” he said flatly. “We found my grandma’s body but we never found Branch’s or half the victims that had gone missing twelve years ago. The Hunter’s Order did a purge twelve years ago, in that town just north of here. It was a den for them, know it?”

“... A town north of… are you talking about _Bergen_ Town?”

“Yes…” he whispered looking into her eyes again but they weren’t glowing as harshly as before, more intent. “Do you still have the wallet?”

“I— yeah, it’s right here,” Poppy took the wallet out of the pocket of her bathrobe and handed it over to Thistle.

He tentatively took it, almost hesitating as he brought it to his face and opened it. The pain that crossed his face… was impossible to hide. He didn’t even try to deny it as he saw the familiar photos.

“Yeah… this is her wallet,” he groaned, fingering a picture inside as melancholy took him for a moment, old memories tormenting him of a long time ago of a less than innocent childhood. “Heh… I almost… forgot what he looked like,” he muttered, his eyes watering as he slowly closed the older leather wallet. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the agony that had suddenly surface out of his control and clutched the wallet in his hands, frowning down at it.

Rose frowned, remembering how Thistle didn’t have a lot of photos of his brother after that incident… Mr. Oak had hidden them all if not destroyed any memory or proof that his wife and youngest son had ever existed.

Thistle suddenly surged up, clutching the wallet and shoving it in his pocket.

Anger rising.

He needed to get moving. He was so _close_ to the answers. They weren't about to fucking slip through his fingers.

“Look Poppy, we’re going to go out there and hunt down this leech,” he suddenly growled, his eyes hard again. “I want to you stay here and don’t open the door for anyone till we give you the all clear, alright?”

“...Okay,” Poppy nodded her head. Then she paused. “Um… there’s this question I’ve been meaning to ask,” she frowned. “Why… why did the vampire run away from me? It could’ve… attacked me and killed me but it didn’t. Why?”

Rose grimaced and this time her face was the one to get hard. “I don’t know. Not all vampires… How can I explain this? Some vampires root themselves into human society, blend in and feed discreetly and interact with humans, but that still doesn’t make them human. To them, we’re just food, and sometimes we’re their tools to make soldiers for their wars.”

“That still doesn't explain why it didn’t kill me,” Poppy argued.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Thistle admitted. “Especially if this one was as starved as you made it sound, which means it's close to turning into an Esurient.”

            “...A what now?” Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“An Esurient is what we call a vampire that has transformed into a monster and has lost all control due to starvation. No matter how much it feeds it will keep sucking dry and killing everything in its path till it's put down,” Rose explained tartly.

            “...Do all vampires turn into Esurients?” Poppy whispered, horrified.

“Not if they feed often enough,” Thistle replied. “Turned vampires are much easier to fall into Esurient level than Purebloods, Patrician vampires, or Half-blood vampires for that matter.”

“I’m going to pretend I understand what you just said.”

Thistle chuckled and nodded in agreement. “It’s a lot to get your head wrapped around, I know. I’ve been training since ten just to kill them, just like Rose here,” he said gesturing to her. Poppy gaped.

“ _Ten?”_ she squeaked.

“It’s a hard life,” Thistle agreed. “But it’s the life and job of a Hunter.”

“And not everyone even makes it through training,” Rose commented. “In fact, about sixty percent don’t make it past training.”

“...Oh.”

“The point is we don’t know why that vampire didn’t attack you last night, especially if you interrupted its feeding. Vampires are most vicious when feeding and you were a juicy steak standing in front of it,” Thistle muttered confused.

Rose glared at him unimpressed. He shrugged back, he wasn't about to apologize for his lack of tact, it was an accurate analogy. She sighed, knowing how he was like and looked back at Poppy.

“Maybe… maybe it’s a friendly vampire?” Poppy suggested.

Rose suddenly busted out laughing and Thistle stared conflicted and scowled as she let out hoarse breaths till she could finally talk again.

“Poppy. There is _no_ such thing as a friendly vampire. They are all vicious monsters that would sooner rip your throat out than be your ‘friend’.”

Poppy crossed her arms. She had no idea why she was suddenly feeling defensive over that creature that had scared her out of her wits last night, but putting things in perspective she realized how much it all _didn’t_ add up.

“Have you guys even _seen_ How To Train Your Dragon?” Poppy huffed. “The dragons were ‘bloodthirsty monsters’ but when you dug a little deeper they were just misunderstood.”

Rose stared incredulous, hardly believing the words that had just come out of Poppy’s ever optimistic mouth, yet at the same time she wasn’t surprised.

She glanced at Thistle expectantly and he glared at her and let out a foul sigh as he knew she wanted him to do something to convince her thickheaded friend. He knew only one story that could do that and like hell he was going to share it all. But he also needed to keep Poppy safe, it was his duty.

“Poppy… She’s right. My mother… she was turned and she tried to kill me and Branch when we were kids,” he grounded out past his teeth.

Poppy slowly unfolded her arms, staring with her eyes wide. _Oh._

“I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t… know,” she whispered.

Thistle gritted his teeth and looked away. “Just _don’t_ share that with _anyone_ , alright?”

Poppy nodded mutely, eyes downcast.

“Here’s a decent possibility,” Rose offered trying to dispel the tension. “The vampire last night might not have attacked you because it knew you belonged to someone already,” she explained logically. “Someone it might know and fear. It's not uncommon for vampires to wage turf battles over their feeding grounds if they’ve settled and claimed the same area and certain humans.”

“Or it could be different,” Poppy muttered under her breath, but she straightened up, sighing as Rose glared at her disapprovingly. “Yeah… maybe.”

“By the way,” Thistle said looking back at Poppy. “When a Hunter is on vampire blood their hearing is almost as good as theirs,” he pointed out sharply, tapping the side of his head by his ear. Poppy flushed.

“I can’t help to look on the bright side!” Poppy threw her hands in the air. “It’s who I am!!”

“Well… try not to on this occasion,” Rose said, knowing it might be in vain. “It can get someone you love, killed.”

Poppy’s eyes remained downcast for a moment, before looking back up at the two.

“So,” she asked, “How are you planning on catching him?”

“Him?” Thistle echoed, his eyes sharp and alert as he took in the information.

“... It _looked_ like a him,” Poppy shrugged. “He was wearing a blue hoodie. I mean it _was_ dark and he had the hood over his head, and I saw him from the back… but his face… I think I saw it for like…. A split second. It was a guy, I’m pretty sure.”

“Do you remember where you saw him?” Thistle asked quietly already pulling out his phone which was in a shockproof black case.

“Yeah,” Poppy pointed towards the kitchen, “Straight in that direction, on the edge of the woods. You’ll see the body of a dead deer, if the vampire hasn’t returned for it.”

Thistle looked in the direction she pointed in and nodded. Good, a location to scout.

“Alright, remember what I said, don’t open the door for anyone,” he reminded sternly shoving his phone forward towards Poppy after unlocking the screen. “And stay put, don’t let any of your friends come around here till this is over and let’s exchange numbers in case you need to get a hold of me and Rose can’t pick up.”

“Okay,” Poppy said, taking out her phone and the two quickly exchanged numbers.

“Let’s go, Rose,” Thistle said curtly tucking his phone away again and headed for the door.

Rose turned to Poppy for a moment and pulled her into a hug. “This will be over soon, I promise. We’ll protect you.”

“I know… I always knew you were a badass,” Poppy smiled hugging her back. “You were too good for just a regular nurse job.”

Rose grinned, trying not to chuckle. “Doctor,” she corrected. “I would _never_ just be a regular nurse.”

“Yeah, well, you would never be a regular anything because you’re Rose,” Poppy grinned with a giggle. “Always gotta make a job interesting.” Rose snickered.

She let go of Poppy and stood up, going through a pack on her right hip as Thistle opened the front door and glared outside, looking around.

In a few moments Rose had procured a small bottle from her pouch and passed it to Poppy. “Take one of these, you’ll have to take one every day. It’ll make your blood into something like poison for a vampire to drink. Till we can figure out who’s feeding off you this is the best we can do. It might make you a little nauseous though,” she warned. “Remember, one every twenty-four hours or it’s pointless.”

“Got it.” Poppy nodded her head as she took the black bottle and looked down at it curiously for a moment.

“Call us if anything happens!” Rose called over her shoulder already headed for the door.

Within moments they were gone, the giant black truck vanishing from sight.

Poppy locked the door behind them and watched the black vehicle pull out of the driveway and into the alley from the window and into the field and towards the woods behind Poppy’s house.

Poppy slowly sat back down in the couch, her head in her hands. She glanced at the bottle of pills in her right hand and decided to pop one into her mouth—why not start taking these now? If a vampire was constantly feeding on her, she’d rather not take any chances.

She opened the bottle and an unmarked black capsule fell into her open palm. She stared at it for a moment before she chucked it into her mouth like a candy and swallowed it without water.

 _I need to go take a cold shower,_ she thought, getting up from the couch still feeling like her brain was reeling.

She went upstairs to her bedroom where she got out of her pajamas and stepped into the shower, relishing in the feeling the cold water gave her as it soothed her nerves.

Half an hour later, she stepped back out again, dripping wet but satisfied. She dried herself off and got dressed, before collapsing onto her bed.

She felt completely drained. It wasn’t even ten o’clock and already she felt like she’d been tossed and turned and thrown around with enough information to make one’s head explode.

Poppy slowly lifted her fingers to her neck, rubbing it where Thistle had stared. This information that someone was feeding off her was… _horrifying_ to say the least. Who on earth could do such a thing?! Was it someone she _knew?!_ And how come she never remembered anything?! Or realized it until she had been told by some mythical Hunter straight out of a horror story?!

Poppy balled a fist and banged it on her forehead. This wasn’t helping her relax.

She took out her phone and opened her photos app, hoping to spend some time giggling or smiling at those pictures she’d taken yesterday of Biggie with—

—Wait a moment.

Poppy squinted and clicked the most recent photo in her library. A startling image appeared, making Poppy’s jaw drop.

_She’d taken a picture of the vampire!_

Half his face was still not quite visible, but, though the glowing red eyes still made her shiver, she could see his expression clear as day. It wasn’t of malice, of anger, or even monster-like.

He was _afraid_. In fact he quite possibly looked even more terrified than _Poppy_ had been.

Poppy squinted at the picture, studying it carefully.

He wore no shoes. His clothes were in tatters. He looked…

 _Human._ And not in the sense that he was humanoid or had the appearance of a human, but… he didn’t look monster-like to Poppy at all. He just looked scared… like a lost child.

Poppy sat up, looking up from her phone.

Her mind raced to the two Hunters currently out in the woods, hunting this poor scared boy down.

This was wrong…

_This was wrong!_

Every part of her being practically shouted it as she looked at the frightened face one more time.

She couldn’t let Thistle and Rose kill that vampire. Not yet. They had to give him a chance, at _least_ explain why he ran away from her. Maybe then everything would become clear! Maybe then… Poppy could prove that the nagging feeling in her brain was right. That this vampire _was_ different.

Poppy hopped off her bed, yanked on some shoes, and with record speed charged out of her room, jumping down the stairs two at a time.

Ignoring Thistle’s and Rose’s warnings, she ran out the back door and jumped over the fence, ignoring Fuzzbert as he yapped after her.

She paused for a moment, taking a split second to rethink her decision as she landed on the brown grass on the other side. Then, defiantly, began to march towards the forest as quickly as she could.

 


	8. Caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some important edits but same chain of current events.

* * *

 

The Gurkha truck traveled along the unpaved road, the suspension and specialized shocks made the ride smoother but that didn’t stop the occasional jarring as the armored vehicle started to cut across the field toward the tree line.

Grabbing the clutch and hitting the breaks Thistle put the vehicle to a stop below the shade and left the engine roaring and quietly rumbling as he yanked off his seat belt.

His enhanced vision glowed as he looked out over the tree line.

Rose opened her case of blood pills and chucked one of the red capsules into her mouth and swallowed after picking up her steel canteen to take a quick drink.

“There’s nothing out there so far,” he whispered and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the glove compartment and Rose did the same.

The sun was already well over the horizon, it was some time after eight in the morning, almost nine. Rose pulled up a lunch box, the shiny material of the bag gleaming.

“We should eat,” she muttered.

“Won’t taste good after that pill takes effect,” he pointed out. “Besides, I’m not hungry.”

He opened the door and he slid out, easily hitting the floor in a single step with his tall six-foot frame.

Rose frowned and tossed the lunchbox back under the seat. Opening her door, a flat rail of metal pulled out automatically from her under the side of the black armor of the truck's body and she set her foot on it and jumped out and quietly closed the door behind her.

She felt the capsule dissolving her stomach, unsettling it a little but her body was long accustomed to the effects as the blood started to surge in her body and take hold. Disgusting tainted blood... but they needed it to do their job, otherwise they could not physically keep up with their quarry. She hated the pills, but she knew she could not say that her partner felt the same about them. Thistle in comparison had a slight problem when it came to the blood pills...

Her vision started to sharpen and with it they became more sensitive to the light and she slipped on her black shades so she wouldn’t have to squint. She had to admit she didn’t hate the enhancements the blood gave to her body but the sensations it stirred they had long since trained to handle and suppress and the danger they posed to them in their profession and even to their eventual long term mental health and even lasting effects to their bodies… That she didn’t like it one bit and she wasn’t referring to the _good_ side effects.

It was always a risk they had to willingly take when they swallowed the pills.

Thistle was already headed into the trees and she quickly followed, drawing out her gun as did he.

The scents of the forest grew sharper and Thistle was taking deep breaths, following his nose. The smell of carrion…

It was not long that he was drawn to the scent of blood and death, and he could pick up the faded scent of the monster. It smelled like something cold and dead before it started rotting along with an unnatural sweetness that was meant to draw a human in when in their presence. However right now under the effects of the pill, it clashed with his senses.

As they came up to the mangled corpse, crows cawed and scattered. A swarm of black flies buzzed and hummed over the body as Thistle got closer, unbothered by the sight.

He looked down and the savagely torn neck and pulled his shaded up to his head.

“Looks like this one is a messy eater,” Rose grumbled as she came up beside him and gazed down at the corpse.

He watched her bend down and pull out a pair of medical gloves and slip them on. She had a far more extensive education in medicine than he did which is why they complimented each other so well.

“Or he was starving and falling to Esurient level already,” Thistle retorted turning up his gaze towards the trees and looking about, listening carefully.

Rose inspected the gashes, her gloved finger smearing with dry brown gore as she split the flesh gently and looked for the bite marks. As she found them she sized them up with her fingers and pressed her pinkie into the wound and measured them, looking troubled a few moments later.

“This vampire is barely a young adult, Thistle. Probably not even twenty years old,” she muttered. “The wounds are not the right size for an older one…”

Thistle looked down at her confused. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” she grimaced. “It might be a Turned most likely.”

“But it still had my grandmother’s wallet,” he argued.

“I didn’t say I had all the answers,” she shrugged standing up and yanking the gloves off and balling them up into a wad. “It could just be a coincidence that he found it and kept it…” she said unconvinced as she yanked out her knife and bent down again, disfiguring the dead deer’s neck further with her blade, destroying the evidence.

“No killer would hold onto something that has no value to them,” Thistle growled.

“No,” she agreed as she stood up cleaning her knife. “But a kid that got turned might.”

“That still makes no sense,” Thistle retorted. “No family pictures that aren’t theirs are going to make them hold on to it. Someone who commits murder though… would.”

Rose nodded in agreement. They had found their fair share of vampires lugging around picture IDs of their victims in their pockets as if could redeem them for killing them. The mad ones had made collages of their victims on the walls of their lair like it was some kind of game for them and they were counting faces. Those were always the worst. The most insane and driven by bloodlust.

“What do you want to do then?” she asked.

“We’re going to catch it and strangle the answers out of it,” he grumbled starting to walk into the woods again.

Rose let out a long deep breath, her eyes turning to the dead deer again on the forest floor and the bed of autumn leaves littering the ground. It’s neck was broken...even starving this particular vampire was still strong, but then again, when were they not?

Thistle broke into a sprint, starting to blaze through the forest no normal human could match but it quickly made his heart race too fast and his breath to catch, drawing his body to its physical limits. Yet he always pushed till the change in smells finally made him stop.

He was panting slightly, finding himself before an old thick tree. The vampire's scent lingered in this area more strongly and Thistle took a deep breath just to be sure.

His eyes caught sight of the ropes and stakes in the ground and he frowned.

Looking back he knew Rose had not followed, her stamina was amazing but it did not compare to his own when they both were on the blood pills. And she, unlike him, didn’t push her body to the limit till it could break under the strain.

He pulled out his phone and his bottle of pills. Shaking the bottle he chucked his second pill for the day and swallowed. The internal pain from the physical strain began to dampen till it was completely gone and his heart was beating at a steady rate again, strength swelling through his muscles and making him smile for a moment.

There was no phone service out here… He shoved the phone back into his pocket and  pulled out his handheld transceiver and pressed the black button.

“Rose?”

The hazy buzzing started before a click and her voice came through.

_“Did you find something, Thistle?”_

“Yeah, you need to come see this. Find my coordinates on the GPS tracker and bring the truck here. I left the keys in the ignition.”

 _“Got it,”_ her voice clicked in.

“And be careful when driving here, there’s some fallen logs,” he added. “Don’t get a dent on her.”

The line clicked again and only silence came through for a moment, making him smirk.

_“... Thistle, shut the fuck up.”_

He grinned and restrained pushing the button, so she wouldn’t hear his dry laugh.

He snorted to himself after a moment, rolling his eyes. Seriousness and resolved washing over him again, tensing his muscles as he looked out among the trees for his target.

He meant it about the truck though.

“Hey, she’s my baby,” he chortled into the radio, trying to hide his tension.

_“Your baby can go sleep in a ditch.”_

He laughed once and put the radio back in its sheath on his belt. He started to pace around the track, sniffing the air and looking around the area. As he stepped closer he careful not to activate it, it was a rather basic yet effective trap. Obviously meant for large animals… Deer.

What was this vampire doing? The more he thought about it the more confused he was.

Half an hour later he heard the sound of the familiar engine in the distance and turned back as his truck bowled over a thicket of bushes and turned them into pancakes, snapping branches as it plowed through, ripping past them with the steel bumper and making Thistle wince. He tried not to grimace and sigh as Rose parked ten feet away from him and the trap.

The door popped open and she slipped out.

“What did you find?” she called and walked over calmly, after closing the door behind her.

“Look,” he gestured with a nod of his head.

She walked up and stood next to him, looking down confused. She sniffed the air and she was even more puzzled.

“A trap?”

“Made by our residential fiend,” Thistle added dryly.

“Why?” she asked confused. “Obviously humans don’t walk out here...and no idiot would fall into this.”

Thistle gave her a bored incredulous look and she rolled her eyes chuckling cynically.

“No, you’re right, an idiot would fall into this,” she agreed but then her voice became dead serious. “But obviously this leech didn’t set it up for a human.”

“No,” Thistle agreed. “There’s the faint scent of a dead deer here, very faint…”

“Really?” she echoed taking a deep breath through her nose. “I don’t smell it,” she mumbled eyeing her partner.

“I do,” he said grimly.

“This is not usual behavior, Thistle,” she grounded out. “There’s a town full of people just a few miles from here. Is it trying to starve itself on purpose?” she growled out.

“If its master told it to…”

Rose’s face grew dark and furious. “Someone around here is trying to start a slaughter? We haven’t seen anything like this in years...”

Thistle nodded, clearly troubled and looking back towards the direction of the town. Was there a coven here, again? Like twelve years ago? And if so...what the hell were they planning?

As he looked at Rose again she knew she was thinking the same thing.

“We need to catch it and kill it,” she said softly looking at the trap. “This might have been a ploy to just lure you and your dad out here, Thistle,” she said hating to say it. “I mean, finding the wallet out here after all these years? So close to where it happened… Where your dad had led the largest purge in the last fifty years of the Society’s history…”

“Yeah…” Thistle growled annoyed, his irritation quickly becoming rage at the idea it was all for nothing except springing a trap. But that still meant he could get to the bottom of the mystery. That he could find some answers. It still meant there was a chance he could avenge his little brother…

“Let’s set up the trap here,” he decided gruffly making Rose freeze up and turn to him with wide concerned eyes.

“The sun is getting brighter, Thistle…”

“If this leech is starving he won’t be able to resist the smell even with the sunlight, and by the smell of it, it checks this trap every day. He can’t be far away,” Thistle cut her off, his voice harsh and calculating. Cold. “They’re like sharks, one whiff even from miles away and he’ll come running here for the frenzy.”

Rose grimaced and nodded. Better to get this over with now in the daylight when they had the advantage.

“Go park the truck about five minutes away behind some cover, downwind. I’ll set up the blood.”

She nodded mutely and he followed her to the black armored vehicle.

He opened the back door of the spacious back cabin, one of the seat remodeled into a cage with chains and thick bars. He reached in and pulled out a large locked crate and popped open the latches, an artillery of weaponry revealed all with the logos of his father’s weapon company stamped on with matte black paint making them almost invisible.

He yanked out two of the net guns and set them aside on the ground. Next, he pulled out his vest and other gear and tossed it on the forest floor next to the weapons. He closed the weapon box after that and Rose came back from the back of the truck’s bed with one of their coolers.

Quietly and with a grateful nod he took it by the handle and walked back towards the trap as she slipped back into the truck and drove it back southward to hide.

Thistle inspected the trees around the area, and there were several good ones to hide up in as he suited up, putting everything on except the head gear which always disturbed him. He got to work, putting metal stakes into two of the suitable trees.

By the time he heard calm footsteps rustling the leaves coming from somewhere behind him, he was done.

He turned back to find Rose fully suited, her hair tied up in a tight ponytail and without her helmet either. It honestly not only impaired their movement but muffled their hearing. Thistle didn’t know why it was standard issue, the Society ought to come up with a better design that didn’t look like a prison guards riot suits.

In her hands she had her personal sniper rifle, the long barrel of the gun glinting in the dappled sunlight and shade.

“We’re going to catch him alive,” Thistle reminded her with a serious frown.

“I know, this is just in case,” she said pulling her gun up. She shifted the case of handheld tranquilizers and pulled out her paralytic pistol. “This is just in case too,” she muttered with a serious frown.

Thistle grinned, Rose was an amazing shot. He had never known her to miss, not even once. She had been top of their class and when she had agreed to be his hunting partner it had been the union of envy for the other students in the academy. The top two joining forces to become an unstoppable team...

He still remembered how happy he had been that day when she had said yes. Close friends since childhood… he wouldn’t have it any other way. No other partner could ever suit him… nor probably tolerate him as much as Rose did and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that. He knew he could be difficult to deal with, doing things his own way and stubbornly.

Thistle may have gotten the fame for striking the finishing blow on the three Purebloods and for being the strongest, but every one of those kills had only been possible because of Rose in his opinion. Anyone that underestimated her would soon discover it would be the last mistake they’d ever make.

“Here,” he tossed her the large heavy net gun and she easily caught it in one hand.

“I’m taking this tree,” she called walking to the right before he could even say anything. He didn’t mind and smirked, Thistle always made sure she could get the best spot for her shots.

He watched her for a moment as she strapped the guns over her back and started to climbed up the tree. Thistle looked away and picked up the cooler, setting it by the trap. He opened it and saw the line of blood bags inside, enough to fill up half a body.

Yanking out his black steel tactical blade from its sheath he sliced the first bag and tossed it on the ground, the red blood gurgling out and saturating the air.

Thistle's face tensed up as he took in the smell, it was… almost appealing, yet his body tried to fight it off with a sense of disgust. But he would be lying if he said it didn’t set his nerves on fire and make him feel… _alive._ Ready to fight. Some just liked the smell of blood, it made their senses and blood rage stir, apparently, he was one of them—

 _I need to cut back on the blood pills…_ he thought with irritating denial.

He knew how hard that would be for him to do even with Rose’s constant worrying and nagging. Even going as far to take his pills from him when she got fed up with his behavior.

He cut the next bag and tossed it after the other and then another. Soon all ten bags were spilling and soaking the soil with a thick and heavy pool that gleamed a dark scarlet in the light, drenching the leaves and dry blades of grass.

Soon the air was suffocating, the wind stirring it.

Thistle rushed back towards his tree some ten feet away and began to climb along the back where the studs of metal would not be hit by the sunlight. He settled down on of high branches hidden by the leave, precariously floating over the forest floor.

He glanced across the clearing barely catching sight of Rose in her tree high up hidden by a multitudinous amount of leaves. He only found her because he knew what to look for as she peered through a scope towards the forest floor.

He pulled his net gun off his back and readied it, getting into position and pulled out his regular piston and placed it beside him after silencing any equipment that might make noise.

Thistle could hear Rose’s calm heartbeat and breathing in the silence thanks to his enhanced hearing along with his own body making the betraying noised at a slow pace and he knew she could hear it too. But now they were listening for something different, a familiar sound running fast through the forest like a bullet that they had to catch.

It was a waiting game now.

A long, patient wait for the monster to come out of hiding.

 

* * *

 

Branch was writing poetry again. What started as an ‘excuse’ to practice his handwriting before he completely forgot how to even write had turned into a faithful habit over the years. He tried his best to copy the same flow and language that were in the poetry books he’d stolen from the library, some of the few books he had that weren’t informative or how-to books. He wouldn’t say he was a master by any means, but writing allowed him to cope with his dark curse.

Sometimes he would write about things that made him happy. Sometimes he wrote about his loneliness. Sometimes he even wrote about the desire to eat blood; those were almost always crumpled up and thrown away.

Currently, he was writing about a stupid girl with stupid pink hair who stupidly snuck up on him while he was being too stupid to pay attention.

His written words were much more elaborate than that, of course, but that was the basic message he was writing down. He hoped he hadn’t scared her too badly...

But as he thought about her his hunger flared. Branch paused in his scribbling and bit down on his knuckles, trying to push that feeling away.

Her scent had been so intoxicating...he’d only gotten a whiff but it was enough to drive him mad. Had it not been for his panic at her seeing him like that, he would have…

Branch shuddered to think what could have happened.

Her scent…so... _delicious_ …

Branch suddenly tasted blood and he drew his hand away from his mouth. He’d bitten through his skin and now a wound on his knuckles was oozing thick viscous blood. Branch grimaced and licked it—shuddering at the horrible taste of his own blood—healing it with his stupid magic saliva...he didn’t really have any other explanation for it. All he knew was that whenever he cut himself; or accidentally bit himself; his saliva would heal it in a matter of seconds. Useful...and honestly weird, but still useful.

It was well enough Branch had gotten away from her in time, and hadn’t caught any more of her scent. To think...had he smelled her _blood_ he would have completely—

Branch stiffened, a sharp...warm appealing smell suddenly reaching his nose. He whipped his head around, sniffing heavily and getting up from his chair.

_Blood._

_Human blood._

Branch jerked the door to his workroom open and stepped out into the dark hallway, sniffing even more. He trailed down the hall, following the scent, till he reached the farthest wall at the end of the hallway. There was a vent near the ceiling that led to the outside to provide fresh air.

The strong scent of blood was coming from there. Outside.

_Fresh._

Branch’s throat screamed for the blood he smelled and he barely had any willpower to stop the urge. He turned around and vaulted for the bunker door, racing up the steep incline till he finally stopped himself at the metal door.

His hands were on the wheel to unlock it, but Branch forced his arms to stop moving.

_Human blood. Human out there. Can’t...can’t eat human. Can’t eat…_

His trembling hands betrayed him. The metal wheel turned.

_Can’t eat human._

**_BLOOD_ ** _._

_Can’t eat human._

**_HUNGRY_ ** _._

_Can’t eat… can’t eat…_

The door cracked open and the scent of blood completely overwhelmed Branch, flooding his nostrils and taking over his being. His throat burned with hellfire in an instant. Branch’s eyes became a blaze of red fire. Only one thought was racing through his mind.

**_FEED_ ** _._

Branch burst through the door and launched up the concrete steps, pumping his legs harder and going faster than he’d ever gone before. The forest was a blur but all that echoed through his mind was _feed. Feed. Feed._

Not five minutes later he was in sight of the source of blood that had summoned him. A large pool of blood was lying on the ground, its scent strong and hypnotizing. Branch could barely stop his momentum as he crashed on all fours, skidding to a stop before the blood puddle.

He promptly dunked his face in the puddle, the blood mixing with the dirt and leaves of the ground but Branch couldn’t care less.

_Feed._

_Hungry._

Thunder suddenly shot with fury in two different directions and pain exploded into his hip, running something strange and searing into his body, clenching his muscles. At that same moment a heavy weight ensnared over his body, collapsing over his head and back. Branch felt himself ensnared in a net made of steel.

Branch thrashed around, trying to disentangle himself from the heavy cords when a sudden pressure—a foot—slammed into his back, pressing him into the ground.

“Got you!” snarled a thundering voice and a hand suddenly shoved his head into the dirt, muffling his breathing and making Branch splutter and cough.

“WAAAAAAIIIT,” a voice in the distance suddenly cried. “DON’T KILL HIIIIIIIM!!!”

“Poppy?!” screamed a female voice somewhere high above.

“WHAT THE HELL IS—”

Branch was able to somehow shove up with sheer desperation, his instincts now telling him to run as he knocked the weight off his back.

Another shot of pain suddenly fired up the right side of his back and Branch gasped from the sheer shock. He fell over in a daze feeling the cramping launch down to his waist and up his spine. The paralyzing pain already holding onto his leg making it useless to move.

“That’s enough out of you!” the man’s voice snarled shoving him down again and yanking his arms back, something heavy suddenly clamping down and around his wrists. Like a bounder had been set on his hands.

“Get out of the way!”

“Just sedate him already!” snapped the man.

Branch still tried to thrash, until something sharp and cold pricked his neck. Whatever it was he could feel it rushing into his neck, straight into his head...

Lethargy like he had never felt before swam through his brain, sinking him in an ocean of black. His eyes rolled back into his head as he felt a terrible numbing sensation overtake his body, fueling for a moment a sense of panic inside that was quickly drowned by the desire to sleep.

 _“...get him to the truck... deal with her later…”_ voices swam in and out of focus, sounding from far away. Branch felt hands lift him up and then…

... _nothing._

Nothing but the sweet embrace of sleep where the scent of human blood did not linger to drive him mad. 

 


	9. Panic is No One's Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now this chapter is new! (Well, the first half and rewritten second.) Have we mentioned how much we love Guy and his inner monologues? No? Well, now you know.

* * *

 

Guy sighed with relief when he pulled into his driveway at last, a large box of blood bags in the seat next to him. He shut off the car and grabbed the box, hefting it into his lap before getting out of the car, closing the door behind him.

He paused, however, glancing in the direction of Poppy’s house. The two of them lived on the same street—part of Creek’s orders, it was Guy’s duty to keep an eye on her when he wasn’t present—and he couldn’t help but sensing something was… _off._

He sniffed the air, a strange unfamiliar scent was lingering in the air upwind. He set the box down next to his car and curiously traveled down his driveway to the sidewalk, slowly approaching the direction the strange scent was coming from. Walking at a slow human pace.

The moment he reached the driveway of Poppy’s house, he finally caught a clear trace of the scent. The distinct sharp odor instantly registering in his mind.

_Hunters._

Guy went rigid, sucking in a gasp as his eyes bulged.

What the hell were _Hunters_ doing here?! How had they— _when_ had they—?!

Guy immediately dashed to Poppy’s front door but then froze, worried the Hunters might still be inside. The scent was quite recent, fresh.

He quickly double backed and ran to the side of the house, peering through a window carefully.

Empty.

Guy bit his lip, looking around as he walked around to the back and caught the scent of those Hunters again and Poppy’s scent, even fresher. There was a trail leading down to the woods…

From what he could tell, the Hunters had headed that direction about an hour ago, but Poppy had followed about half an hour later.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

Creek was going to _kill_ him.

This was just shaping up to be a _wonderful_ day for Guy, wasn’t it?

He gritted his teeth and immediately shot after her scent, hoping to catch her in time before she caught up to those Hunters. He couldn’t risk the Hunters getting their hands on Poppy and taking her somewhere Creek and Guy wouldn’t be able to find her, or worse expose him and Creek for what they were before it was time.

FUCK.

Did they know? Did they know who she _was?_

Or were they here for the rogue? Or was it both at the same time?!

Guy’s mind was racing as frantically as his feet when the scent of a carcass had him halting in his tracks in the treeline and quickly approaching it. Poppy’s scent was there, old as the carcass, and the fresher scent of the Hunters...

And there was the scent of the rogue, wafting off the carcass of the deer.

… _Fuck!_

Considering Poppy and the rogue’s scents were just as old as one another, he had good reason to believe Poppy had seen him, and seen him feeding on the deer no doubt.

_Damn it!_

Guy gritted his teeth and sped past the carcass, shooting into the woods like a silver bullet. This was a mess! A fucking non-glittery, no sunshine-and-rainbows _mess!_

The smell of human blood suddenly hit him squarely in the face, and _a lot_ of it, making him skid to a halt. His head turning in the direction of his throat automatically seared with painful desire even if it was dull at the moment.

It wasn’t Poppy’s blood, _thank goodness_ …

In the distance with his sharp scope vision he could see a large black truck—if it could even be _called_ a truck. The thing was twice as big as any hummer Guy had ever seen and look like it could take on an army of vampires.

Whoever these Hunters were, they were obviously not from the low ranks of the Order. Not if they had equipment like this, in fact he had never seen a truck like that in his life. Usually Hunters tried to blend as much as them, this pair obviously wasn’t even trying.

Were they just stupid? Arrogant? Or… worse? Good enough to get away with it and not care? Either way, it was still arrogant. Not all vampires were run-of-the-mill Turneds.

Guy grimaced, treading extremely carefully as he looked around in hopes of finding Poppy before it was too late.

 _“WAAAAAIIIT!! DON’T KILL HIM!”_ a voice—Poppy’s voice—suddenly screeched. Guy jolted and immediately shot in that direction. Fuck! What was Poppy _thinking?!_

He suddenly burst into a clearing and suddenly the stench of blood became overpowering. In a split second he registered two Hunters, Poppy, and the rogue covered in nets and limp, all looking his way.

“FUCK!” he screeched, turning on his heel and scrambling in the opposite direction, practically falling over in his haste to run the other way.

_“Guy?!”_

There was suddenly a man in front of him, steely ice blue eyes focused on him. Guy skidded to a halt, his fists bared as immediately tensed, ready to take this Hunter down.

Steel slashed towards his face and Guy ducked, flinching at the incredible speed this Hunter showed despite being so big. He jumped back and then leapt forward with a yell, his fists coming towards him with a blinding fury. 

A palm caught the first blow, a powerful grip crushing down his knuckles.

 _What…?_ Guy stared dumbfounded and horrified. He immediately reacted and kicked, trying to tug his fist away from the iron-like grip.

“STOP! THISTLE, WAIT NO DON’T HURT HIM!” Poppy screamed and Guy blanched.

“ _THISTLE?!”_ Guy cried in horror finally looking more clearly at the unmasked face that didn’t even smile smugly back, only killer and cold in expression.

Thistle Oak? The Vampire Without Fangs?! _Him?!_

An explosion of a gunshot rang out, pain thundering into Guy’s lower spine.

Even if the paralytic poison didn’t burn almost instantly into his muscles, the damage had been instantaneous. He could feel the nerves had been completely severed by the bullet in his back. His legs gave out instantly and he crumpled onto the forest floor in a heap with a sharp cry. His sunglasses fell off and the sun instantly burned his eyes, and he squeezed them shut in pain.

He couldn’t even _feel_ his legs, only the pain up his back.

“ _STOOOOOP!_ ” Poppy screamed, racing towards Guy, _“HE’S MY FRIEND! PLEASE, THISTLE, ROSE, **STOP IT!!”**_

“Your friend?” the man’s deep voice echoed over Guy’s head as he those cold blue eyes looked down at him.

“Yes!” Poppy cried, tears streaming down her face. “His name is Guy, I’ve told you about him!” she turned to the one she had called Rose desperately.

Rose lowered her gun and looked at Thistle seriously.

“Maybe this is the leech feeding off her?”

“Hrrgh!” Guy coughed, feeling his arms tremble as he tried to prop himself up but he fell back to the forest floor, desperation clawing in his gut.

He was going to die. This was it, he was dead.

“Leech?! Guy isn’t—he isn’t a—,” Poppy spluttered, pressing her hands to her face. She ran over to him and knelt down by Guy, her eyes widening at the wound in his back and she felt like she wanted to scream.

Rose was instantly behind her and she yanked Poppy back quickly.

“Don’t get near him!”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, HE’S MY FRIEND!” Poppy screeched back furiously.

“He’s a fucking vampire, you idiot!” Rose snapped. “A wounded one at that, that can grab you and use you as a hostage if not rip your throat out!”

Guy snarled at that, his eyes already burning red in reaction to the toxins in his body, but was unable to look away, his body completely immobile. Poppy stared, a whimper escaping her when she saw those glowing red eyes and a flash of fangs past his lips.

His heart immediately clenched in guilt as he managed to look up at her with a torn frown, somehow able to close his mouth and hide his teeth. He didn’t mean for her to find out like this. He didn’t _want_ this to be the way she found out…

“Let’s sedate him and take him with us,” Thistle said gruffly, stabbing his sword into the dirt just inches from Guy’s face. “We’ll question him after the other one. Make sure he’s the one feeding off Poppy, and drag any other info we can out of him.”

Guy let out a small fearful whine as he stared at the sword inches from his face.

“Alright,” Rose said, striding forward and taking a white rod out of her pack and yanking the top off. “He honestly doesn’t need it though, that spine of his isn’t going to heal any time soon.”

 _Yeah, you fucking bitch, you SHOT MY FUCKING SPINE!_ Guy screeched inwardly.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Thistle muttered. “This one is definitely a Patrician, I can smell it, he’ll be healed in a few good hours and he’s well fed.”

“Then he definitely might be our guy,” Rose said as she bent down and yanked his limp arms back.

 _No, I am **not** you fucking sons of bitches,_ Guy seethed inwardly.

Heavy metal cuffs suddenly snapped over his wrists behind his back, cold metal touching his skin.

Guy felt the despair claw through him even stronger than before.

He really was going to die. Especially if this was Thistle Oak, son of the Head Hunter, a fucking Hunter prodigy. Only twenty-one, twenty-two maybe, years old and he had killed _three_ purebloods! _Three!_ And one when he was _sixteen years old!_

His name was hated and feared among vampires and Guy was no exception.

He snarled when he was suddenly heaved up and thrown over the large man’s shoulder, pain shooting through his torso and shooting up his spine, or what part of his spine he could still feel.

“Don’t get him so near your face!” Rose snapped. “I haven’t injected him yet!”

 _Well it’s not like I can bite him, I can’t hardly feel my fucking face with that paralytic bullet you SHOT ME WITH,_ Guy wanted to screech at her.

“He can’t move,” Thistle said calmly and unconcerned. “The poison was concentrated right into his spine, he’s lucky he can blink.”

“You aren’t going to kill him, right?!” Poppy asked worriedly. “Right?!”

Rose frowned, reaching forward and something sharp, cold, and small jammed into Guy’s neck. Guy winced, but couldn’t even flinch his head away as a cold sensation shot into his blood and quickly to his skull.

“Poppy, we kill _all_ vampires,” Thistle deadpanned. “You think we are going to let the leech likely feeding on you run around?”

“But—,” Poppy felt tears swimming in her eyes, her mind still reeling as she looked at her friend. Her _best friend!_ “But he isn’t evil! I _know_ he isn’t!”

“So was my mother but she tried to eat me and my brother,” Thistle bit back sarcastically.

Guy’s eyes rolled back into his head as his consciousness was soon lost, and the conversation drowned out of his ears to be replaced with silence. Silence and darkness.

He knew it… He was going to die…

 

* * *

 

Thistle trudged towards the other body on the forest floor and yanked it up in his free arm, letting Rose deal with their current issue.

Rose was fuming as she stood up with the empty tranquilizer in her grip as she turned a blazing emerald glare on the pink headed girl.

“ARE YOU STUPID?!” she screamed, her voice cracking like fire.

Poppy flinched but swallowed, staring at the body slung over Thistle’s shoulder, and then her eyes trailed to the other one that he was currently hoisting up in his other arm.

“I… I was thinking… I just…” she whispered, her phone gripped in her hands. “Thought I had some kind of… photographic evidence that… maybe the vampire wasn’t bad…”

Rose didn’t even give a shit about the ‘photographic evidence’ Poppy had as she kept her furious glare on Poppy.

“Let’s get him to the truck, we’ll deal with her later,” Thistle called after he picked up the body off the ground with ease into his arm. Both weights didn’t seem to slow him down.

“YOU DEAL WITH THAT!” Rose shrieked turning her venomous gaze on Thistle and making his flinch and quickly rush turn away.

Rose stomped up to her friend, looking down into her amber eyes with a look that felt like it could burn a hole through metal.

Poppy visibly shrunk down a few inches underneath her friend’s terrifying gaze. Perhaps… this _hadn’t_ been a good idea.

“What… in the hell…” Rose seethed, each words spilling past her gritted teeth. “Possessed you to come out here after what WE TOLD YOU?! If you had been downwind you would be _DEAD_ right now!”

“I’m sorry,” Poppy whimpered, feeling extremely foolish. “I thought… _I thought_ …” her voice trailed off uncertainly and she looked at her feet, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

Rose let out a long low growl, trying to control her rage. She was so furious her fingers had dug into her hands till they were bleeding.

“You didn’t _think_ , Poppy! _Not one bit!_ This thing was _mad_ with hunger, it would have ripped you to shreds before anyone could have helped you!” she spat, her voice suddenly shaking, and then it cracked with pain and there were furious tears in her eyes. “I could have lost you…”

Poppy nodded mutely, her lip trembling.

“I just… wanted to give it a chance,” she mumbled, almost incoherently.

Rose groaned and suddenly she threw her arms around Poppy, yanking her in and squeezing her. Rose… was shaking, trying to control the fear and panic that had snapped her up.

“You’re a hopeless idiot, Poppy,” she sighed weakly.

“...More like hopeful,” Poppy muttered into her shoulder.

Rose let out a shaky laugh and shook her head against Poppy’s shoulder. “The idiot part still applies here,” she teased slowly letting her go, a few tears streaking down her face as she took a deep breath trying to relax. “Come on, you’re coming with us. Can’t trust you to stay put it seems.”

Rose pushed Poppy along down the path towards the truck.

As they arrived the found Thistle chaining up the boy to the bars inside the cage. A muzzle was around half his sleeping face splattered with blood. Chains tied around his legs and constraining his arms to his sides. Thistle slapped the cage door closed and locked it with a heavy padlock and turned back seeing the girls.

“The other one?” Rose question.

Thistle pointed behind his shoulder. “Chained in the bed of the truck. That one isn’t running any time soon so it’s safe there.”

Poppy swallowed.

“Guy wouldn’t _hurt_ me, though,” she whispered, her eyes searching Rose, lost and confused. “I can’t… I can’t believe he’s a…”

“Poppy,” she said sternly. “They _act_ like they won’t hurt you, it’s all a facade hiding their real nature so they can get near their prey.”

“But Guy is a horrible liar!” Poppy cried. “I mean, he’s not as bad as I am, but I can always _tell_ when he’s lying! He—he would never… he _wouldn’t…”_

“That can also be an act,” Rose growled, staring at her with hard eyes. “Believe me, _we_ ,” she pointed between her and Thistle, “know this, we’ve been hunting them for years now. Almost getting killed by them. The Order has been hunting them for hundreds of years, protecting and keeping humanity in the dark about the dark truths hidden in the corners of our world..”

“Maybe all they need is a chance to help them,” Poppy said, her eyes shining stubbornly.

“You wouldn't be saying that if one was ripping into your throat, starved. If they were really your friends would they be feeding off you without your consent? Not trusting you and keeping their real natures secret?” Thistle pressed meeting her gaze. “They use humans. They don’t treat us as equals, we are their _food._ ”

“But…” Poppy swallowed, trying to find something to say but coming up short. She couldn’t believe, no she _wouldn’t_ believe her friend would only think of her and her other friends as just food.

“Get it on the other side Poppy, sit away from the cage as far as you can,” he instructed sternly. “He shouldn’t wake up for at least an hour but we can’t be too careful.”

“Is he okay?” Poppy peeked over his shoulder to the cage, observing the sleeping figure with curious eyes.

Thistle raised an eyebrow and wasn’t sure what to think of this girl at the moment who was stubbornly clinging to fantasy ideals.

“He’s alive… for now,” he replied darkly, closing the door and headed back from where they came to pick up their equipment.

Rose tugged Poppy along to the other side of the truck and opened the door for, the rail sliding out for her to step on. It was still pretty high up for a short girl like Poppy though. She barely managed to heave herself up without Rose’s help and collapsed on the long seats.

“So where are you taking them?” Poppy asked once Rose had gotten in the front seat and closed the door behind her. She looked back but realized she couldn’t see out the back window to the bed of the truck.

Rose sighed and yanked her seatbelt and pressed some buttons on the dashboard.

“There’s a Hunter’s cabin a few miles from here across the road deep in the woods.  It’s about a forty minutes drive. It’s a place Hunters go to when they are stationed or hunting in the area. We have…” she paused biting her lip for a moment. “A specialized room there to contain captives for questioning,” she said evenly. She wasn’t about to blurt out the words ‘torture chamber’ around Poppy.

“Okay…” Poppy sat back in her seat, looking out the window beside her.

It was quiet after that but in all honesty Rose was still boiling under her own skin.

A few minutes later Thistle was back, tossing weapons into the bed of the truck before he slipped into the truck. He slid and paused, his face scrunching up as he sniffed the air and looked at Rose.

“You’re bleeding?”

“It stopped,” she muttered flexing her hands. “I cut myself with my nails.”

“What are we doing with her?” Thistle asked, turning the keys in the ignition and engine revved up to life, a slight rumble shaking through the large truck.

“Taking her with us,” Rose grumbled.

“You don’t want me to erase her memories of right now?” he asked surprised.

“It’d be pointless,” she groaned leaning back into her seat.

“I heard that!” Poppy shouted from the back.

“Good for you, Shrimp,” Thistle laughed back.

The truck began to move, carting through the woods at forty miles an hour, hitting every rock and hole it seemed, making things inside jar and bounce. Poppy felt herself bounce up and down in her seat and she gripped the edges hard, her teeth rattling with every vibration and jolt. Rose was unfazed, lounging casually against her seat as she stared at the GPS.

The road smoothed out about ten minutes later as they pulled into the stretch of roadway slicing through the forest leading out of town. The truck turned and picked up going almost eighty miles per hour down the straight stretch of road. Until finally a dirt road opened up to their right leading to the distant mountain.

Thistle hardly slowed down as he turned making everything in the back swing to left all of a sudden, Poppy holding on for dear life and letting out a squeal. For a little while longer the road was relatively smooth, the last twenty minutes of the drive however… made the first part through the other woods seem like a stroll.

Poppy got to see some real rock climbing by the truck and boy did it feel like her guts would fall out. All she knew was that she _really_ needed to pee now.

 _I wonder if this is what a rocking ship feels like,_ she thought as she felt the car sway side to side. Her stomach was starting to feel rather queasy.

“Don’t throw up back there,” Thistle called as he glanced at the rear view mirror and back at the two.

“Ea—easier said—said than done!” Poppy replied through gritted teeth.

“It’s almost over,” Thistle promised.

“No it’s not, this is her punishment for following us out here. Take the long way,” Rose grumbled.

A long moan suddenly alerted all of their attentions, its source the cage in the back. The chained up figure was starting to stir.

“Never mind, hurry the fuck up,” Rose muttered glancing back already pulling a tranquilizer out of her pack just in case.

Thistle grunted in response, hitting the gas and the truck moved even faster, turning on a new road now that they were over a particularly steep set of rocks.

Poppy glanced at the figure as she saw his eyes slowly blink open. They were glowing blue, a comforting contrast to the terrible red orbs of fire from before. The figure blearily looked around before his eyes landed on Poppy’s own. Poppy shyly smiled and waved.

The vampire only stared. In fact, its expression grew bewildered. Poppy waved again, wiggling her fingers at the vampire.

The vampire looked at her waving hand and then looked down at his own. Ever so slowly, he hesitantly lifted his chained hands and…

_Waved back at her!_

Albeit it was with both hands since large cuffs were covering them both, but the small gesture made Poppy squeal. She turned around, grinning widely. Rose frowned and glaring at her.

“Don’t wave at it!” she hissed.

“Wait she _what_?” Thistle asked with disbelief.

“But he waved _back_ at me!” Poppy squealed. “It was adorable!!”

“Ugh…” Rose groaned turning her hard green gazed on the vampire.

“Don’t ‘ugh’ me, you saw it! He’s nice!” Poppy turned back towards the vampire and waved again, but Rose quickly grabbed her wrist and jerked her hand down.

“I got my eye on you, _leech_. She may be an ignorant civilian but _we’re_ Hunters, don’t think for a second that we aren’t onto your little game,” she hissed narrowing her eyes.

The vampire’s blue eyes widened with horror. It shrunk away and curled up in a ball at the furthest corner of the cage, warily keeping an eye on the Hunters.

“Don't kill me,” it muttered ever so quietly through the muzzle. “I didn’t do anything…”

“That’s what you all say,” Thistle snarled this time, his menacing voice drowning them all in silence that echoed.

A few minutes later they arrived to a large cabin, deep in the woods pressed against a hard stone cliff edge, hidden from view. Almost as if its back wall _was_ the cliff.

Poppy stared at the cabin through the window, frowning. It looked….like an old cabin. Vines crept up the sides of the cabin and the roof looked like it needed a major repairing. She’d been expecting something a little… well, less old-cabin-y, she supposed, though in hindsight what _would_ a vampire hunter’s hideout look like?

The truck grinded to a halt next to the building that towered over it. With a turn of the key Thistle killed the engine and opened his door.

Rose for the past few minutes had not tore her untrusting, unblinking gaze from the vampire in the cage.

Thistle opened the door behind his, where the cage was and he was finally able to look into the blue eyes of the beast locked up in its cage. Blue eyes meeting blue eyes.

He reached for the lock and heard the click of a gun and paused.

Rose had her paralytic gun raised, pointed at the parasite's head. “Remember this? Try anything funny and I’ll put one in your head, got it?”

The vampire nodded mutely.

Thistle jammed the key into the lock and it snapped open, the cage door swinging up and his large fist reached in and grabbed the neckline of the gray-blue hoodie.

“Come on,” he growled suddenly yanking the smaller frame towards him. He picked him up and easily carried him under his burly arm and off the ground. He slammed the door closed.

Rose pulled out quickly and rounded the truck, her gun still raised.

There was a sudden loud painful groan from the trunk bed as the other vampire began to stir. His legs twitched a little and Guy blinked open his eyes, relieved to feel just a slight sensation return to his legs, even if it was painful and pointless. His back however… _was killing him! Fuck!_ What had happened? A fucking rock massage?

A shadow fell over his face and Guy stiffened, meeting those icy eyes again. He finally noticed that there was a muzzle over his face now, and strong chains were binding his limbs together.

“Oh, fuck,” he mumbled weakly, staring up at Thistle, The Vampire Without Fangs.

Thistle reached into the bed of the truck, roughly grabbing the chains and yanking him up. The other vampire seemed to move under his arm but struggle as it looked up surprised.

“Hey, ow, watch it you asshole!” Guy snarled.

Thistle completely ignored him, tossing him over his shoulder and the chains dug into his shoulder blades but he didn’t even grunt. The body jostling and the legs limp in front of his chest and he frowned as he noticed an involuntary twitch.

“Ow! I said watch it you fucking son of a half grown—,”

“Guy!” Poppy cried. Guy paused, glancing at his friend meekly.

“....Sorry,” he mumbled, looking away.

“I thought you said he was ‘good’,” Thistle snorted sarcastically. “With that kind of fucking mouth?”

“Oh, forgive me for losing my manners when I’m surrounded by fucking HUNTERS who are probably going to fucking KILL ME!” Guy shot at him, his right leg kicking a little in his agitation.

A slight smirk pulled at Thistle’s lips. “Heh, this one is kind of funny,” he snorted, already walking towards the cabin.

“Hey, maybe I can convince you to let me live in return for stand-up comedy?”

Thistle paused, turning his head towards the vampire known as Guy with a raised eyebrow, wondering if that had been sarcasm or an honest offer, which he found exceedingly stupid. He opted for the first answer, sarcasm.

“Sorry, I’m not a laughing kind of guy,” he snorted, resuming his pace toward the door.

“Worth a shot,” Guy said weakly. Poppy watched on worriedly, biting her lip, desperately trying to think of something to say to convince them. 

“Come on, Poppy! Let’s move it,” Rose called not tearing her eyes away from Thistle and the bloodsuckers he was carrying.

Poppy stared with wide eyes and followed them at a good distance, her eyes never leaving the two vampires. She still couldn’t believe _Guy_ was one of them. Guy!

“Please just give them a chance,” she said quietly, looking at Rose with desperate eyes. _“Please!”_

Rose scowled, glancing at Poppy like she was deranged but said nothing as they climbed the stairs onto the porch.

Surprisingly the rustic cabin had a seemingly state-of-the-art door with a keypad and card reader. Thistle waited at the door and Rose produced a round key from her pocket and slipped it into the lock, punched in a code and pulled out a white card that she swiped.

A loud string of beeps followed and heavy locked shifted behind the door.

The rogue vampire was trembling under Thistle’s arm and whimpered when the door was unlocked. Guy looked at him sympathetically, he knew just what sort of terror he must be feeling for he was experiencing it himself. If he had a working heart, it would be leaping out of his chest right now.

The door swung open.

Inside was astonishingly different.

Pristine white walls, elegant simple furniture in a large living room, albeit covered in a good layer of dust, an unlit fireplace. There was even a large flat screen TV against the wall adjacent to the fireplace and by a bookshelf stocked with books reaching halfway up to the ceiling where there was a fin. A large kitchen, wooden stairs to a second floor, doors to other rooms… It was far more luxurious than it appeared outside.

Thistle marched in and headed straight for the steel door next to the stairs. Rose was ahead of him, and opened it, unlocking the heavy padlock with a keypad and a stone and steel corridor chasmed down steep steps. He started walking down with his charges, not glancing back.

Rose looked back at Poppy. “Stay here, and I _mean it_ this time,” she glared slamming the steel door behind them and it locked.

 


	10. Validation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changes in this chapter are mostly edits and Guy's random thoughts and commentary as he plays witness to all the... drama.

* * *

 

Branch woke to the ground jolting around underneath him. He moaned, opening his eyes. All he saw were shapes and shadows, everything was moving around and he couldn’t focus on anything. His body ached and the smell of blood on his clothes was thick in the air…

Branch blinked.

Though the smell of blood was clearly evident, the hunger… that _hunger_ to drink it was hardly even _there._ It was the absolute strangest feeling to smell blood but not feel the burning sensation in his throat because of it.

Strange… but _nice_.

Branch looked around and finally noticing he was in a cage and inside some sort of vehicle? To his surprise, his eyes landed on the pink-haired wonder from before.

 _What the hell is she doing here?!_ He wondered, confused.

Poppy Corona was staring back at him with her beautiful amber eyes. Branch wanted to look away; she was probably scared out of her wits around him, especially considering what she’d seen last night. In fact now that she saw he was awake, she’d probably scream, flinch, or even—

_Smile… and WAVE?_

Branch stared. She was smiling at him. _Him._ Poppy Corona… was…  
            _What?!_

Poppy waved again, wiggling her fingers this time at him. Branch wasn’t sure how to react to such...oddity. He would’ve expected her to do...well, _anything_ except _that._

 _Does she want me to wave back?!_ Branch slowly looked down at his hands. They were chained together with the biggest, strongest looking handcuffs he’d ever seen, but he slowly lifted them up and did his best to wave back at Poppy.

Poppy’s smile grew wider and she squealed, then turned back around in her seat.

“Don’t wave at it!” another woman sitting in the front seat from where Poppy sat hissed back at her.

“Wait, she _what?”_ A man asked with disbelief. Branch recognized their voices from before as the ones who had caught him and he shrank back slightly.

“But he waved _back_ at me!” Poppy squealed. “It was _adorable!”_

_I… I’m adorable?_

The woman only groaned in reply but apparently Poppy wasn’t having any of it.

“Don’t ‘ugh’ me, you saw it! He’s nice!”

Branch almost let out an audible “ _Huh?!”_ She… thought… _what?!_ After what she saw last night?! She thought he was _nice?!_

Obviously, all was not right in Poppy’s head. How could she think _he. Of all people. Was nice?!_

Poppy turned and waved at him again, but the older woman grabbed her wrist.

“I’ve got my eye on you, _leech,”_ the woman snarled at Branch. “She may be an ignorant civilian but _we’re_ Hunters, don’t think for a second that we aren’t onto your little game,” she hissed narrowing her eyes at him.

_Hunters._

_Oh fuck._

_Not them._

_Please God, not them._

Branch’s eyes widened with horror and put as much distance between them and him as he could, feeling the tight chains rattle against his body. He knew about Hunters. He knew _all_ he could about Hunters.

His dad was the fucking _leader_ of the Hunters.

“Don’t kill me,” Branch whispered, his voice muffled because of the muzzle attached to his head. “I didn’t do anything…”

_Well except maybe steal computers and blood bags from hospitals that were vital for human life._

“That’s what you all say,” the man at the front growled menacingly. Branch felt his stomach drop.

It was quiet after that and Branch felt his panic slowly rising inside him. The woman’s green eyes would not look away from him and they were glowing…

Why were they _glowing?!_

Was he imagining it? He was sure he wasn’t. All he knew was that her gaze was unnerving him, almost as much as the accusatory voice that had made everyone shut up in the strange large car.

He took the time to assess his situation. No matter how he looked at it...it was bad.

There was a muzzle wrapped around his face and how could he blame them?

Chains wrapping around his chest, pinning his arms to his side tightly. Thankfully he didn’t need to breathe. More chains around his legs…

He faintly realized he was no longer in pain. What had they shot him with? It felt like it had turned his muscles into stone with a pain that reminded him…

Those red eyes flashed into his mind and he suppressed a shudder, closing his eyes tight for a moment.

Whatever it had been it had worn off, he didn’t even feel like there was anything in his body, it had probably already pushed it out and healed if it had indeed been bullets.

The truck stopped, the engine turning off and Branch looked up not realizing where they even were.

He saw the large body in the front seat in front of him pull out and vanish for a moment only for the car door next to the bars of his cage open.

He stiffened looking into a hard face. Blue eyes glowing, staring hatefully his way and Branch found he couldn’t look away.

That is until a click in the air made him tense, tearing his eyes away from the male Hunter to the female pointing a gun straight at his head.

“Remember this? Try anything funny and I’ll put one in your head, got it?”

Branch nodded mutely guessing it was the weapon that had hurt him earlier, that had lanced that horrible pain and paralysis into his body.

Just how long had he been out?

He heard a lock snap open and his eyes shot back to the man just as his large hand reached in, making Branch freeze as the neck of his hoodie was grabbed.

“Come on.”

And Branch was shocked by the strength with which the human yanked him forward with. As he was lifted like a rag doll and pressed under a large arm, feeling the sudden proximity of a warm living body...he was sure no human could be this strong, right?

Branch took a breath through the slits of the muzzle trying to calm himself…

He realized something smelled… off? Something about these Hunter’s definitely smelled off. They still smelled like humans but with a hint… of what Branch could only describe smelled something like himself. Whatever it was, it smelled definitely like one thing: dangerous.

What happened next shocked him as he recognized another voice as the Hunter pulled him out of the back of the truck. He stared up surprised at Guy, who was chained up, too.

 _How…?_ He got captured too? When?

His mind was reeling, not even paying attention to Guy talking back so boldly to the Hunters.

Branch didn’t know what to think of this, especially as the other vampire shot him a sympathetic gaze that made him look away uncomfortably.

They approached the cabin and Branch felt dread growing ever steadily in his stomach.

Hunters killed vampires. He knew this. He craned his head behind them to catch one last glimpse of the forest… he didn’t think he would be seeing it again.

Branch honestly didn’t know what to think at this point. All he could think of was the gun pressing into his side and the knife not so far away, making him swallow hard and tremble.

Branch heard the sounds of beeping and then heavy metal locks shifting and he was trembling as he let out an audible whimper and turned his head up to see the door open.

He hadn’t been inside a real home in years… but he could hardly focus on the surroundings as the man carried him towards a large metal door. A code was punched in again by the woman that Branch couldn’t quite catch and the door opened, a cold and unforgiving air sweeping up to them. Stagnant and smelling of stone, metal, and dust.

Branch felt his entire body tense and quake as the Hunter started to climb down the stairs two at a time.

The woman’s voice echoed out sternly behind them and then the steel door slammed shut.

He was trapped. 

Before he knew it they were on the bottom floor, opening another door to a large silvery room of metal wall with a concrete floor like his bunker. There was a large metal table with steel cuffs, straps, chains…

A table and wall with sharp cruel tools and Branch had to avert his eyes as he felt the fear rush down his spine. Hell, he could _smell_ his own fear under his nose over the smell of the blood.

_A torture room._

So they weren’t just going to kill him. They were going to make him suffer _first._

Branch felt like he was fighting tears.

Why?

Why did this have to happen to him? Hadn’t he been trying his hardest?

He’d resisted the temptation, the urge to feed on living humans for _years._ Stealing blood bags was nothing compared to killing someone—which Branch, to his knowledge, never had. Yet.

He’d come...very close today, after smelling those blood bags in their trap. He’d completely lost control of himself once he’d gotten a whiff of fresh human blood, he’d practically gone into a frenzy over it. Had that been an actual human… Branch shuddered to think what might have happened. 

His body was suddenly slammed down on the cold steel table a little too hard and he stifled a grunt. He opened his eyes and looked down to see the man snap a huge metal bar across his chest, then another across the top of his legs and adjusting them till Branch's’ body was squashed down uncomfortably against the cold.

The man turned away, carrying the other vampire towards a giant glass looking… _cage?_

He opened the thick door with a combination code, marching in.

“Uh so, that’s still a no on the stand up comedy thing?” Guy squeaked.

The man dropped him on the ground and Guy let out a complaintive squeak of pain.

“Or not,” he coughed as pain shot through his spine again.

The hunter turned away without a word, his face dark and brooding and his cold blue eyes focused on the vampire currently strapped to the table.

Branch flinched back fearfully, the menacing look making his blood run cold as the man approached him.

A mechanism began to whirl and the table began to incline making him tense and panic till he realized it was just moving to place him in an erect position, standing.

He looked down at his feet for a moment then up at the two scowling figures staring at him. The woman suddenly by the man’s side.

“He’s definitely pretty close to turning into an Esurient,” the woman growled taking a step closer, her gun still at the ready. “He’s got the red ring around his pupils.”

 _Esurient? Wait, what?_ Branch frowned at the familiar word, recalling Guy had mentioned something about Esurient not twenty-four hours ago.

The taller man grunted and took a step closer.

“Why are you starving yourself?” he demanded.

Branch clenched his jaw and swallowed.

“I’m not starving myself,” Branch retorted. “I’m eating deer three times a week.” _Or was, before they moved,_ he thought, “And I used to steal some blood bags from the hospital but… they ran out of stock recently.”

The man stared with blatant disbelief while the woman didn’t seem to buy it for one minute.

 _Three times a week?!_ Guy frowned, perplexed. Not even animal blood that many times a week was enough to keep a vampire from starving! Was this rogue honestly _that_ clueless?

“You’re lying,” the woman growled. “You’re starving, you have all the signs.”

“You can’t be that stupid,” the man added skeptically his brow knitted as he stared hard.

“What about me is stupid? That I’m not killing humans?!” Branch spat at them suddenly, feeling his patience fry with his fear. “What’s better, starving myself or murder? I’ve resisted killing humans since I was a fucking kid, I can do it some more.”

Guy blinked in surprise from the cage, staring at Branch with wide eyes.

Really? Had he really resisted since he was a _kid?_

Guy wasn’t quite sure if he believed him, but… if that were true, Guy couldn’t help feeling a little more respect for the rogue.

The man sneered, his teeth flashing and Branch swore his canines looked a little sharp…

“Now I know you’re lying, leech,” he snarled. “You did kill someone, someone very dear to me. Two in fact,” he spat. Guy couldn’t help cringe back in fear in his cage as he looked on, the dark look on the Hunter’s face even more menacing than before.

Branch paused.

“I… sorry?” his voice cracked, utterly confused. “I have… I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t killed _anyone!_ ”

The man’s hand suddenly grabbed his hoodie, yanking him forward then back till Branch’s skull hit the metal flatbed and he felt stars dancing in his vision.

“Liar!” he screamed. “Then how the hell did you get this?!” he demanded yanking out the green wallet and holding it up to his face.

Branch’s eyes widened as he recognized the green wallet. Guy stared on confused, holding a useless breath in his chest. What… was going on?!

“Wh—where did you get that, that’s mine!” he screamed. “THAT’S MINE!”

The man’s veins bulged at the side of his temple, his scowl getting angrier and Branch coughed as he was slammed into the table again.

“THIS IS NOT YOURS! THIS WAS MY GRANDMOTHER’S!”

 _Grandmother’s?!? The HELL?!?_ Branch stared hard at those terrifyingly angry blue eyes—

_Blue eyes._

**_Wait_ ** _._

“Thistle, he’s obviously not going to talk, let’s just kill him already,” the woman spoke up, pressing a hand to the man’s shoulder.

“TH— _THISTLE?!_ ” Branch screeched, his voice raising an octave. Shock flooded through his body. 

_This man…_

_...WAS HIS **BROTHER**?! _

“That’s right,” Thistle snarled, a cold grin stretching across his face. “I am _the_ Thistle, otherwise known as the Vampire without Fangs by your kind and the Hunters,” he spat his fingers curling around the old ruined neck of the hoodie.

“NO, NO, YOU GOT IT ALL _WRONG!!_ ” Branch screamed, his voice going hoarse, “I’M NOT THE KILLER, I’M YOUR _FUCKING_ **_BROTHER!!!_** ”

Thistle stiffened his eyes going wide. The woman tensed, her eyes stretching wide too. Guy’s jaw had dropped.

“Huh?” he croaked audibly, unable to keep himself quiet but no one paid him any attention.

“You’re lying…” Thistle whispered, then his voice roared out with rage. “My brother is _dead!_ He was killed twelve years ago by **_your_** kind!”

Branch sucked in a sharp breath, feeling his body shake for a moment.

“Your name is Theodore Aristotle Oak,” Branch said shakily. “You… you always gave me your ice cream at lunch, you protected me from bullies at school who made fun of my name, which is how you got YOUR nickname ‘Thistle’ and you hate your name because you think it sounds too… I don't fucking remember, but you hate your first name! A-a-and—and we always called Grandma ‘Rosiepuff’. That was our special name for her, remember?!” He cried. “But I _swear_ , I didn’t kill our grandma! And I _didn’t die that day! I got **fucking turned!!** ”_ he screamed letting it all come out with a desperate rush. Hoping… Thistle believed him.

Thistle was frozen, shaking, staring into blue eyes with small red rings.

Guy stared. This had to be some sort of soap opera shit.

“Wh–what’s your name? Your full name…” Thistle whispered in a broken voice.

“Branch Bluford Oak,” Branch croaked out slowly, his throat raw from screaming.

Thistle gasped, suddenly releasing him and taking an unsteady step back, dropping the wallet on the floor.

He stared with horror and disbelief, tears budding at the edges of eyes before he rushed forward again, his hands reaching. Slowly, Thistle unfastened the muzzle around Branch’s face and took it off, letting it drop to the floor with a clatter.

Branch stared back at Thistle, whose eyes clouded with tears as he took in the face of his brother whom he had not seen for twelve years. Branch felt tears swim into his own eyes. His brother. His big brother was standing right in front of him…gosh how he’d changed.

“Br-Branch?” Thistle croaked, his hand moving up to brush some of the hair out of the way so he could have a clearer look. Recognizing the same eyes… the same nose…

Guy’s eyes flitted to the right, seeing something gleam at the edge of his vision that had him tensing and then freeze.

A click resounded behind him and Thistle stiffened suddenly whirling around. His hand barely caught Rose’s arm and shot it up into the air.

**_Bang!_ **

“No! Rose, stop! _AUGH!!!_ ”

He suddenly crumpled, yanking her down with him as the bullet ricocheted off the table just inches from Branch’s head and into Thistle’s shoulder.

The searing pain slamming through Thistle’s body cruelly and making him squeeze his eyes shut but he did not let her go.

“Thistle! You _idiot!_ ” she cried suddenly dropping the gun with a clatter and grabbing him as he slumped forward on his knees.

“It’s… just a graze,” Thistle huffed.

 _Uh… a graze?!_ Guy frowned, he swore he saw the fucking thing go straight into his shoulder!

 Branch’s ears were ringing and he slowly turned his head to the right, staring wide-eyed at the dent in the metal table where the bullet had hit it. Just a few inches to the left and Branch wouldn’t even be alive. He glanced back at the woman. Did she even _care_ Thistle and Branch had just found each other?!

Wait—

Had Thistle just yelled _Rose_?!

“R- _Rose?”_ Branch cried. “Rose—as in _mud pie_ Rose?”

“Mud pie _what_ now?” Guy mumbled to himself, growing more and more confused with each passing second.

“Ha…!” Thistle laughed weakly, cupping his shoulder, Rose ignoring them both. “He remembers the mud pies you used to throw… Yeah, it’s her alright, glad you still remember,” he coughed suddenly groaning, clutching his shoulder hard, red burning between his fingers.

Blood filled Branch’s nostrils and that sickening hunger began to grow once more, reawakening. He swallowed, his eyes suddenly blazing red.

“Rose… get Thistle away from me. Please,” he gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Hold your breath,” Thistle said turning back to look at him.

That was fucking easier said than done, the smell was in his nose already!

“No! I’m killing him right now!” Rose spat reaching for her gun again.

“No! Rose! Dammit, woman! _STOP!_ ” Thistle howled suddenly fighting through the paralytic pain and bowling her over. Pinning her to the ground and she thrashed letting out a furious wail.

“Get off me, Theodore!” she screamed. “You’re not thinking straight! _We have to kill him!_ ”

“ **NO!** ” Thistle thundered opening his eyes to glare down at her. “We’re not going to kill him!”

Guy flinched at those words, and gave up trying to follow what the hell was going on.

Branch whimpered, his body shaking, the burning in his throat… the same ravenous instincts daring to take hold that he couldn’t even think about what was going on right now. He was gritting his teeth hard, feeling his fangs already poking at his bottom gums.

“It’s the fucking _law_ , Theodore! You know that we have to do it! He’s a _vampire_! He’s not your brother anymore! Your brother died twelve years ago! That—that _thing_ there is an empty husk that just looks and talks like him! The moment you let him go he’ll kill us all! I have to kill him for you before that can happen!”

“Rose…” Thistle shuttered and she froze tears landing on her face and she looked up into those pain filled eyes that were crying… that _never_ cried. That hadn’t cried in _years_. “ _Please_ …” he begged, a sob ripping up his throat. “He’s my little brother...”

Rose stared paralyzed, suddenly conflicted, her eyes trembling.

“Please, Rose… not him,” he kept begging his voice getting hoarser. “He’s my brother… Let me help him, let me protect him. Are you really telling me you won’t give me this one thing? It’s all I’m asking...”

Pain crossed Rose’s face and along with shame and she relaxed. She stopped fighting him.

“You’re bleeding Thistle, let’s get you out of here… Before Branch proves me right,” she mumbled quietly.

“Thanks, Rose,” Thistle gasped in relief, a smile crossing his face and then his eyes rolled into his head and he suddenly slumped, landing on top of her and going limp.

“Thistle!” she screeched. “Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! The poison!”

She shoved him off and somehow managed to hoisted his body up, throwing his arm over her shoulder as she dragged him off, shooting one last glared at Branch.

“Don’t try to escape or I’ll fill you with holes!” she barked and then turned her glare on Guy. “You too!” she spat before dragging an unconscious Thistle out of the room.

Branch shook, his eyes still shut tight, trying not to breathe as he slammed his head back into metal. _Anything_ to stop the frenzied hunger rising inside him.

The chamber rang with silence for a few moments.

“Uh… so… Let me get this straight—Thistle… is… your _brother?”_ Guy finally croaked out, confused and bewildered. _Beyond_ shocked.

Branch opened his red eyes, looking at Guy grimacing.

“Yeah…” he croaked, not sure why he answered. Distraction. He needed a distraction from the starvation.

“...Huh… okay… uh… well, this is… interesting, to say the least,” Guy muttered, leaning against the wall.

Branch groaned, slumping in his restraints and gritting his teeth, his fangs shining and refusing to retract.

“You… you don’t think you could… ask him to let me live, too… would you?” Guy whispered though his voice came out rather desperately.

Branch blinked, looking at him with a frown. “He shouldn’t even be letting _me_ live. I don’t know what that dork is thinking.”

Guy grimaced, looking away as his eyes drooped. Figures.

“Fuck!” Branch cried, banging his head intentionally into the steel table and groaning in pain and despair.

 

 

* * *

 

To say Poppy was horrified when Rose burst through the metal door carrying a seemingly unconscious Thistle over her shoulder was an understatement. She shrieked and rushed over, but Rose made her stand back.

“Did—did the vampire… did the vampire do that?” Poppy whispered, wide eyed. Rose shook her head as she dragged Thistle towards the couch.

“No. I did,” she grunted.

Poppy’s mouth flopped open and her eyebrows dropped.

“Wait, what?!”

“I tried to shoot Branch and Thistle shoved the gun and the bullet ended up hitting him instead!” Rose fired back impatiently as her partner’s body slumped onto the couch.

Poppy hesitated, squinting her eyes.

“...the vampire’s name is… _Branch?”_ she repeated. “That’s weird, that’s the same name as—,”

“Poppy,” Rose interrupted her exasperated. “Please just get a rag from the kitchen! Ask me this later!”

“Oh! Oh, right, right, sorry!!!” Poppy dashed towards the kitchen, berating herself for asking stupid questions when they had a crisis on their hands. She grabbed a rag from a metal hoop next to the sink and sprinted back to Rose and Thistle.

In the meantime Rose quickly strapped off the vest and maneuvering Thistle’s arms as she yanked off his shirt and inspect the graze… _Goddamnit._ It wasn’t a graze! The bullet was actually _inside_ his shoulder!

Stuffing the shirt under his shoulder she saw the crisscrossing black veins bulging across his skin around the wound, turning it black and red. Thistle's body shook and he wheezed.

“Poppy!” she yelled. “I need a bowl of hot water too! I have to get this out of him immediately! Press the rag into his shoulder, I’m getting my equipment,” she called urgently and she jumped over the couch, racing for the door.

Poppy raced back towards the kitchen and grabbed a large bowl from a cabinet, filling it with steaming water. She raced back towards the living room—spilling some in her haste—and set the bowl down next to Thistle and then picked up the rag and gingerly placed it on his shoulder, pressing on it.

Rose burst in not a minute later, a large black case in her hand with a large red plus symbol. She slammed the door and rushed back and around the couch.

“I’m going to need your help, I hope you have a strong stomach,” she said slapping the case down and popping the hinges open.

“I think I threw up once during The Mask but I’ll be okay,” Poppy grimaced.

“If you have to throw up just do it somewhere else,” Rose said grimly focused as she pulled out a tray with silvery tools. She picked up the scalpel and surgical tweezers and some gauze and set out to work.

She opened up the wound directing Poppy to put the bowl as the blood trickled out but it was clotted and thick, not much leaking out to begin with as Rose dug for the bullet. Thankfully it was just under the surface and with obvious training she pulled it out, tossing it into the water stained pink.

Poppy’s eyes bulged as Rose dug into the wound with her tools and her stomach churned uncomfortably.

“I’m almost done just close your eyes if you have to,” Rose said quietly, focused.

Poppy immediately screwed her eyes shut and turned away, gritting her teeth.

Rose cleaned the wound and watched as the flesh slowly began to curl and move, regenerating, closing up... too slowly.

She turned back to the medical kit and yanked out a syringe and the antidote. She plunged the needle into the little vial, taking out what she counted was the right amount of units and turned back to Thistle.

The needle sunk into his shoulder and she plunged the clear liquid into his skin. Yanking out the needle she capped it again and watched the regeneration quicken, more thick clotted blood rushing out and then it stopped. Only clean blood began to trickle from the hole and the wound stopped healing.

 _Out of vampire blood…?_ She wondered astonished and worried. Then she had been right, Thistle had gotten a full dose of the paralytic poison designed for their quarry which was fatally toxic to humans. The vampire blood had been keeping him alive till it had been completely expended...

With a relieved sigh Rose placed a cotton woven patch over the wound with some medicine and more gauze before placing medical tape. She looked at the skin of his shoulder, the blackening calming along with the reddening and the strain of the muscles making the veins bulge as the area slowly returned to normal.

Thistle let out a quiet sigh in his sleep, the tension relaxing from his face.

“It’s over… He’s safe,” she sided relieved taking the bowl of tainted water from Poppy. “If there hadn’t been vampire blood in his system that bullet would have killed him in minutes,” she groaned standing up and walking towards the kitchen.

“What… Uh… what was that stuff you gave him?” Poppy asked “...You know what, never mind.”

Rose laughed as she dumped the bloody water in the kitchen sink. “It was just the antidote, Poppy.”

“I realized that after I asked. My brain’s a little kablooey at the moment,” she grumbled, rubbing her forehead.

“Because you haven’t slept,” Rose pointed out washing the bowl and tools.

“...is the vampire’s name really Branch?” Poppy asked, frowning as she turned towards Rose. Then her eyes widened as she glanced at Thistle. Then looked back up at Rose. “...um… he’s… not who I _think…_  He is? Is he?”

Rose stiffened, frowning as she washed a little more slowly, the water and soap running over her hands and calming her just a bit. “Thistle’s little brother?” she deadpanned. “Yes, he is.”  Poppy’s jaw slackened and she jumped out of her chair.

“WHAT?!” she shrieked “Are you SERIOUS?! HE’S—HE’S ALIVE?! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS, BRANCH IS _ALIVE?!!?_ OH MY _GAH!!”_ Then Poppy let out a giant gasp, and began to hop around the room in excitement.

“I KNEW IT!” she screeched, pumping a fist in the air, “I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I _KNEW HE WAS GOOD!_ ”

Thistle groaned, his face scrunching up and Rose looked up shooting a glare at Poppy. Poppy immediately lowered her voice, but continued to repeat “ _I knew it!”_ under her breath giddily and hopped around the room.

Rose grimaced still able to hear her friend. She was still hopped up on vampire blood for at least another twenty hours or less if it was used up by her body sooner.

“Thistle doesn’t want me to kill him,” Rose grounded out frustrated. “I should do it now while he’s out…” her hard expression fell to a frown.

“Don’t!!” Poppy raced to the metal door and pressed her back into it in an attempt to block Rose from entering. “You gotta give him a chance and Guy too, I just know it!!”

Rose gave her a lame glare from the kitchen sink. “You know I could knock you out before you even knew it, right?” she asked dryly.

“But you wouldn’t. You love me too much,” Poppy replied sweetly.

Rose snorted out a laugh, rolling her eyes. “That’s the problem,” she sighed as she put the tools on a rack and turned off the water looking sadly at Thistle from across the room. “Love it my problem… I’m not going to kill him, Poppy, even though everything in me tells me I should. It… would destroy Thistle if I did…”

Poppy’s gaze grew sympathetic as she looked at Thistle sleeping on the couch. She stepped away from the metal door and sat back down in the armchair next to the couch Thistle was lying in. She glanced back up at Rose.

“Do you like him?” she asked.

Rose snorted and scornfully rolled her eyes. “Poppy, you _know_ the answer to that question. You’ve been bugging me about it for years now.”r

“I know what you always _say_ , but… I dunno, I think you like him more than just a friend. You just don’t wanna admit it.”

Rose’s face hardened. “Admitting it isn’t the problem, Poppy. Hunters… are forbidden from having relationships with their partners.” Poppy looked up, aghast.

“That’s _stupid,_ ” she cried.

“Is it?” Rose sneered. “Tell me, if the love of your life suddenly turns and starts slaughtering little children and people, would you be able to do your job and kill him?” she asked quietly.

Poppy frowned. She tried to visualize Creek killing innocent people...as hard as that was to imagine in the first place. She slowly looked back up to Rose.

“Okay… I guess I kinda get it,” she mumbled. “It’s still stupid, but I get it.”

“You’re such an idealist, Poppy,” Rose chortled fondly. “But it’s one of the reasons I love you,” she smiled. “You make the dark stuff not seem so… dark,” she snorted out the last word without eloquence.

Poppy beamed.

“Well what can I say, I’m a Corona!” she said proudly. “Looking at the bright side and bringing people happiness is what we do!”

“It doesn’t matter anyways, he…” she looked over at him frowning. Rose shook her head in defeat and pushed herself off the counter and headed for the steel door. “I’ll be back,” she said grimly punching in the code to the door.

Poppy jumped out of the chair and raced over to her.

“You’re not gonna kill them right?!” she cried.

Rose groaned and opened the door and taking the first step. “Not right now, I won’t,” she promised in a mutter.

“Can I go say hi to Branch?” Poppy asked eagerly, a foot on the first step.

“No!” Rose snapped turning on her and pointing a finger for her to stay. “Stay upstairs!”

“But I just wanna say hi!” she pouted. And before Rose could stop her, she bellowed, “HELLO THERE, BRANCH!” down the stairs.

Silence echoed for a few moments.

Rose gritted her teeth, the sound ringing in her ears painfully.

“ARE YOU ALIVE DOWN THERE?” Poppy bellowed again.

“Uhh… yes?” came a much quieter hesitant reply. Poppy began to positively glow with happiness when she heard his voice.

“HELLO THERE BRANCH, DO YOU REMEMBER ME? POPPY? FROM SECOND GRADE?” she called down.

“....Yeah, I remember you,” was Branch’s reply.

“Hey, I’m down here, too!” Guy’s voice echoed from downstairs.

“To be fair i did see you yesterday, Guy, but don’t worry, I won’t let them kill you! I promise!” she called down the steps.

She turned back to Rose, beaming.  “Branch remembers me!” she squealed.

“How could anyone forget? You’re like a nightmare sometimes,” Rose laughed.

“I’ll attest to that!” Branch called from downstairs. Poppy spluttered.

“Excuse—geez, hasn’t lost his sass, I see,” she smirked. “Well… uh, I guess bye for now, Branch.”

“....Bye? Poppy. Bye, Poppy,” Branch’s voice cracked slightly.

“It's like I don’t even exist,” Guy complained.

“Bye, Guy,” Poppy smirked at her dramatic friend.

Rose frowned troubled, glancing down the stairs and then back up.

“Alright, you broke the rules already, get your butt back up there. I’m leaving you in charge of Thistle, if he dies, _you’re_ explaining it to everyone,” Rose huffed giving Poppy a light shove.

Poppy turned back to Rose, her eyes wide.

“You don’t really think he’s gonna die, do you?!” she asked hesitantly.

Rose tried to contain a teasing smirk but failed. “He will if you let him get a fever.”

Poppy quickly ran back to the living room and grabbed a blanket, tossing it over Thistle.

“No fevers today,” she told herself. “Wait, this’ll make him warmer…. Should I get ice?”

Rose chuckled and closed the door, letting it lock behind her as Poppy tried to figure out how fevers worked.

Rose stepped down the stairs, grim and tense till she was in the room with the vampires again. _Two_ of them, they must all be fucking insane.

Branch tensed when he saw her enter the room, visibly trying to scoot away from her in his confinement. Guy merely stared with hard eyes, stealing his body to show off more courage than he felt.

Rose ignored them, walking up to the table and bending over to pick up her dropped gun. Her green eyes flashed up. Branch flinched.

“Are you under control now?”

“...yeah,” Branch swallowed. “But I wouldn't uncuff me… just in case.”

Rose smirked. “How reasonable. Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to.” She shoved her gun into its holster.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t expect such a sudden change of heart,” Branch said cautiously.

She frowned at that and looked him in the eyes. “It’s nothing personal, Branch. We used to be friends, you know.”

“Um… quick uh, question…” Branch glanced around. “You wouldn’t happen to have any blood bags lying around, would you?”

She raised an eyebrow and frowned. “No, I’m about to get some since Thistle insists on keeping you alive. But here,” she paused opening her pack along her belt and pulled out a bottle. “These will help,” she said popping off the cap.

Branch eyed the bottle shrewdly.

“What are those?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. He sniffed the air and his expression grew more confused.

“Concentrated vampire blood,” she explained as four bright red capsules rolled out over her palm. Branch raised his eyebrows.

“You… _take_ those? But—” he looked up at her, “Isn’t that dangerous? If you got bit after taking one, you could turn! Right?”

She shuffled the pills across her palm looked up. “That’s right,” she said simply. “We know that risk. If that happens and we can’t commit suicide, it’s up to our partner to finish the job.”

Branch and Guy grew repulsed at the mere thought. Guy grimaced, looking away.

“But I’ve drunk my own blood, it does nothing,” Branch argued. “So why are you giving it to me?”

“Of course it does nothing,” she scoffed annoyed. “It’s _your_ blood. It won’t do _you_ any good, but another vampire’s blood is a different story. Didn’t your creator teach you anything?”

“...The only time I ever met my _creator_ was when she was tearing my grandma apart and I tried to fight her off,” Branch snarled. “And then I ran away because what fucking seven year old wouldn’t? She didn’t even chase after me. When I turned I was alone.”

Guy flinched, staring at Branch as suddenly everything made sense.

No wonder he was completely clueless… he’s been on his own his whole _life_ , well, as a vampire _._

Rose frowned, some semblance of pity taking her face. “Alone, hmm? Well, I’m telling you now. Vampire blood is more potent than human blood but it’s usually a taboo among your kind because it two-folds a vampire's power temporarily and can drive them mad till it wears off.”

“And you’re giving it to me _why?_ If it turns me mad, why risk it? _”_

“This is not enough to make you go crazy,” she said simply tossing a pill in the air and then catching it. “I’m talking about a _lot_ of vampire blood, fresh blood, because it can be addicting.”

“...Oh.” Branch glanced at the pills and his expression perked up. “So… can I have one then?”

“Open your mouth, like hell my hand is getting near your teeth. I’m tossing them in.”

“Fair enough,” Branch opened his mouth and one pill hit the roof of his mouth and then three more after that.

“Swallow, and I better find you still down here when I get back,” she growled. “Your brother almost dying once today is enough. Some shitty gift I gave him,” she muttered under her breath turning away.

“....It’s his birthday today, isn’t it?” Branch recalled. “He’s twenty-one, right?”

“Twenty-two,” she corrected.

“...right, right…” Branch muttered under his breath.

She sneered, stopping and looking back. “Tell me, do you even care? What with having no heart and all? He almost died right now, you could look a little more worried.”

Branch looked up, nearly fuming.

“Of course I’m fucking worried, what because I don’t show it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it? In all honesty I haven’t really registered that that was my _brother_ so forgive me for being a little delayed here!”

Rose’s harsh smile fell as she stared at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know. All I know is that Thistle has been trying to avenge _your_ death for twelve years now while trying to get himself killed to get back to you just to apologize. He had no problem recognizing it was you and accepting it. Think about _that_ ,” she spat. “You never came back to him after all.”

She turned and walked towards the stairs.

“I WAS KEEPING HIM FUCKING SAFE,” Branch screamed after her. “I was a kid who got turned and my dad was a leader of VAMPIRE HUNTERS! Would YOU go back home if you woke up to find you got turned into a monster?!”

Rose stopped by the stairs and glanced back. “I would have done the honorable thing. I would have killed myself,” she said simply, coldly.

Branch flinched, silent as she walked up the stairs and leaving them alone again.

“Well fuck you, too,” Guy growled, glaring in the direction Rose went.

The vampire blood was slowly taking effect, warmth pooling in his stomach and slowly spreading throughout his body. The burning in his throat lessened a great deal till it was almost nonexistent, a wonderful relief for Branch.

Only Branch hardly paid any attention to it as his mind whirled, thinking over what Rose had said. Guilt gripped him and he closed his eyes…

...perhaps she _was_ right.  It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him before, he did sometimes think he might be better off dead… After all such a cruel curse was hard to manage. But to hear someone else say it just solidified that thought in his mind. Validated it.

After all, if he were gone, it would be one less monster for the world to worry about.

 


	11. The Cabin is a Madhouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter has some new dialogue and reactions from certain characters. Place is still a madhouse though!

* * *

 

Thistle groaned, his eyes opening and the first thing he realized was that his body felt like shit. Like human weak shit. His eyesight was back to normal, his hearing. Everything was _fucking_ normal. Other than the pain killing his right shoulder. Hell at least it hadn’t been the left one this time, that shoulder was just fucking bad luck.

“Feeling better?” a perky voice asked.

_Oh god._

Thistle looked up the wet rag falling off his forehead and he looked down realizing he was covered in a few too many sheets.

“Poppy?” he croaked. “Where’s Rose?”

“She went out for supplies,” she replied. “She’ll be back soon, I think?”

Thistle grunted and pushed himself up looking out to the window and the light of the setting sun. Had he really been out for half the day?

“I kinda took a nap while you were out, even though Rose charged me with making sure you didn’t catch a fever, so please don’t tell her I slept on the job?” Poppy pleaded, grimacing slightly.

Thistle chuckled and his big hand landed on her head and ruffled up her pink hair. “No worries Shrimp, I won’t breathe a word,” he promised. Poppy grinned.

“Oh uh… soooooo what’re you gonna do with… with Branch and Guy?” she asked, changing the subject. “Just keep them downstairs?”

Thistle stiffened in an instant, his eyes going wide. “Is he alright?!” he suddenly asked loudly looking at Poppy. “Rose didn’t do anything to him, right?” he fretted.

“Rose swore she wouldn’t hurt him, _or_ Guy,” Poppy assured him, “I think he’s okay. You can go check, though.”

“Yeah,” he sighed relieved tossing his legs over the couch and then stopped only to groan and cup his shoulder. “Damnit…” he reached for his pouch and shuffled through. His eyes went wide with dismay and then irritation. “Damn that woman! She took my pills again!” he huffed. He looked up and found his phone on the coffee table though, along with the wallet and phone he had confiscated from Guy.

He growled under his breath and shoved himself up, grabbing his phone.

“Did Rose say anything else before she left? Or take for that matter…” he grumbled, like his truck which she obviously had...

“Umm… She _did_ say to not get out of bed,” Poppy frowned. “So back to bed for you, mister!” she got up and attempted to push him back to the couch, but his large build remained unmovable to her small body and her feet slid across the floor pointlessly. It was like trying to move a wall.

“Ha! Nice try, Shrimp,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry, Rose knows even without vampire blood I’m like a mountain, only Carter could push me if he really tried.” He ruffled her hair again, his big hand cupping the top of her head and he easily turned her on her feet and plopped her on the couch. “Watch some TV or something, I’m going to go check on Branch.”

“Can I come?” Poppy asked eagerly. “I wanna see him!”

“Not yet,” he said sternly but his voice was warm, in fact, his disposition was nearly down right sunny. He didn’t seem like the same man she had met just that morning. “Maybe after he’s properly fed, alright?”

“Fine,” Poppy sighed, crossing her arms and sinking into the couch.

Thistle chuckled, admitting to himself that he found Poppy kind of cute in a weird and annoying kind of way, almost like a little sister.

“If Rose comes back tell her… first tell her I’m fine and that I’m downstairs… If you want, make it sound like you tried to stop me but I was too strong,” he teased. “She won’t get upset with you then. Just me.”

“Alright, I’ll even throw in some ninja moves to the story,” Poppy grinned. “Gotta make Rose impressed with me.”

“Go for it, Poppy,” Thistle chortled giving her a wink before he walked over to the steel door and punched in the code. The door creaked open and despite the pain in his shoulder, Thistle relaxed and found himself actually grinning excitedly as he moved down the stairs after closing the door behind him.

His brother!

_His fucking brother!_

Thistle couldn’t believe it!

He made it to the bottom of the stairs and peered inside past the second door.

Branch lifted his head when he heard feet touch the bottom of the steps, and his expression brightened immensely when he saw his older brother appear.

“Thistle!” he croaked, tears welling in his eyes. “Are you okay?!”

Thistle grinned and shambled inside but flinched when his shoulder hit the door and he snarled at himself clutching it. _Damn it!_

Guy snorted awake, looking up blearily from where he was curled up on the hard tile floor.

“Wuzzagoinon,” he mumbled sleepily, the chains around him rattling.

Thistle glanced at him and so did Branch, but only momentarily before looking at his brother again.

“I’m… taking that as a no,” Branch said slowly. “How bad is it? I smelled a lot of blood earlier.”

“Don’t worry, Branch,” he brushed it off smiling again as she walked in. “Rose took care of it and I’ve had a lot wor—Wow! Are you crying? Don’t cry! You’ll make me cry!” he grumbled exasperated as he stopped in front of him.

“I’m not crying!” Branch shook his head, trying to stop the tears leaking from his eyes. “I’m definitely not crying, I’m… guah. I’m fine. Fine.”

Thistle chortled letting out a booming laugh and doubled over.

“Bro, you are _so_ crying!” he chuckled. “You haven’t really changed, have you?” he laughed standing up wiping a tear at the edge of his eye.

“The hell does that mean?” Branch smirked, the tears subsiding somewhat. “I’ve changed freaking _species.”_

“Yup, same old Branch, still a smart-mouth in denial,” Thistle smirked back.

Guy was staring incredulously at the scene.

Here in front of him was the famous Thistle, Vampire without Fangs… respected, feared, and hated by his entire species… laughing and _crying?_

What?! What the fuck? What? What damn dimension had he fallen into???

Branch rolled his eyes and sniffed loudly, swallowing and he shook his head again.

“I still can’t fucking believe you of all people were the one who actually caught me,” he muttered. “And really? You followed in Dad’s footsteps?” he chuckled, then his expression grew somber when he recalled what Rose said. “I mean… Rose did say you… uh… tried to avenge me and grandma so I guess… I’m not surprised…”

Thistle listened and his smile had fallen by the end, serious and brooding. “Where did you think I was sent off to before I turned ten?” he asked dryly. “And… well, you weren’t exactly hard to catch,” he chortled and pointed to his left shoulder and the riveting scar that was like three giant claw marks that went down towards his heart. “See this scar? I got it on my first real hunt at sixteen trying to catch a deranged Pureblood.”

“Ow,” Branch frowned. “That looks like… like a tiger claw or something. Wait, what’s a Pureblood?” he asked.

Guy groaned, his head thudding back into the wall. Branch was fucking _hopeless_.

Thistle was nodding then paused, staring and ignoring the noises in the background. “Oh… you don’t _know?_ Has no other vampire taught you anything?” he asked confused, suddenly concerned.

“...I’ll be one-hundred-percent honest with you, this is the first long conversation I’ve had in twelve years,” Branch said quietly. “I ran away from my… er, _creator_ as Rose put it, before I fully turned and she never chased after me and… I’ve been on my own ever since. Well,” he grimaced, “I met _him_ yesterday,” he nodded his head at Guy. “He… he was… trying to help me. I guess.”

“Yeah, trying to make sure you didn’t starve to madness, you moron,” Guy quipped.

Branch scowled at him from across the room.

Horror washed over Thistle's face as suddenly things started to make sense, ignoring all other commentary as he focused on one thing.

“Y—you’ve been alone… for _twelve years?_ ”

Branch grimaced, looking back at him.

“Just about, yeah,” he muttered.

“I would say I had it as shit as you did but at this point that might be a lie,” Thistle groaned and he stepped forward and grabbed the cuffs.

“Woah, woah, woah, don’t uncuff me!” Branch cried, “Rose gave me some vampire pills but I still don't… I don't wanna accidentally hurt you.”

Thistle paused and looked up and peered into his brother’s eyes. He was still fairly pale. Unworried, Thistle reached forward and pressed the back of his hand against Branch’s forehead. Still cold.

“Are you still hungry? There’s no red ring in your eyes anymore,” he observed.

“I… not uh… not as much as I _was_ , but yeah, I’m still hungry. So keep the cuffs on, please.”

Thistle let go of the cuffs and took a step back, frowning at Branch.

“Something you said earlier is worrying me,” he admitted. “When was the last time you fed on a human?”

“Um...well the last time I had a blood bag was a week or so ago,” Branch replied. “But... I always kept my distance from Trollton when I was especially hungry. I’ve never actually bitten a human before.”

“Seriously?” Thistle asked shocked.

“Yeah,” he replied, “It’s not as easy as you think. Campers were the worst… I had to stock up extra blood bags so I wouldn’t have to go outside when they were around. Mostly I ate deer, though.”

“Of course, it wasn’t fucking easy, Branch. I could have told you that,” he sighed shaking his head but as he looked back up he was smiling proudly. “But you were always resourceful. Tell me, how much human blood do you have per week?”

“About a bag a week,” he replied. “Sometimes two bags. Mostly ate deer, except in the recent weeks the blood bank has… been kind of empty and the deer migrated so getting food hasn’t been as easy.”

Guy was staring dumbfounded, again. Branch… was a complete and utter _idiot!_

Thistle was scowling now. “Have you _ever_ completely sated your hunger, like, _at all?!_ ” he asked aghast.

Branch blinked at him, his expression painful.

“I… haven’t. No. I didn’t know what would happen if I allowed myself to drink more, I thought it might make me more of… well, more of a monster,” he muttered.

Guy couldn’t help a bark of laughter.

“Fucking hell?” he cried. “That’s the most backwards thing I’ve ever heard because that is _literally_ backwards!”

Thistle finally looked his way, glaring. “You shut the fuck up before I knock your ass out!”

Guy clamped his jaw shut, swallowing hard as he looked away.

Thistle looked back and stared for a long moment at his little brother. His finger came up and he flicked Branch’s forehead hard. “You _idiot!_ ”

“OW, the fu—,”

“Sating your appetite is what _keeps_ you calm and clear! _Not_ feeding is what will turn you into an Esurient, you dumbass!”

“That’s what I said,” Guy grumbled to himself, but kept his voice low so Thistle wouldn’t hear. But even then, his voice echoed and Thistle simply continued to ignore him.

Branch frowned, confused.

“You mentioned Esurient before. What is that?” he asked.

Thistle and Guy groaned loudly and painfully. Thistle pinched his nose and wondered how Branch had lasted so fucking long. Maybe it was sheer dumb luck.

“An Esurient is the last stage of starvation, Branch,” he explained looking up and pulling out his phone. He turned the screen towards his brother, a video starting to play, the sound echoing out. “And when you turn into one, there is _no_ going back, no matter how many people you drink dry,” he explained grimly.

A creature that was barely recognizable as a human was chained to a wall in the video, locked in a cage and shrieking loudly. It swiped a clawed, disfigured hand through the bars and the person holding the video camera jumped back to avoid them. Two glowing red orbs were its eyes, no pupils, no windows to any kind of soul...

Branch stared, completely horrified.

“You mean… I was close to… to turning _into_ _that_?” he croaked.

 _No shit, Sherlock!_ Guy thought to himself sarcastically.

Thistle frowned turning off the video and tucking the phone back away. “Yes… and because you’re a Turned, its a lot easier for it to happen to you than, say a Pureblood, which is the rarest and most powerful of vampires with a long lineage of powerful vampire parents only. No human blood whatsoever.”

Branch swallowed. To think that he had it all backwards… he nearly got people killed with his stupidity!

“Branch? It’s alright, we caught you on time, you can relax. Obviously, you’re not reverting anymore otherwise you would be going insane with just my smell.”

Branch looked up at his brother despondently, finding it hard to look into his blue eyes. He looked away again, shaking his head.

“I messed up,” he muttered, more to himself than to his brother. “I messed up… should’a just…” he trailed off.

Thistle scowled, getting a little irritated as he grew more concerned. “You didn’t know any better Branch, it’s not your fault. And you should’ve just what?”

“Nothing,” Branch grunted. “Just… nothing.”

“It’s not nothing!” Thistle snapped losing his patience. “I’m here to help and protect you now! You need to learn to rely on me again, now tell me what’s chewing you up! You got that same damn look on your face like when you broke mom’s vase!”

Branch snorted.

“You remember that?” he looked up at him, smirking slightly.

“How could I forget?” Thistle snorted smiling back. “I had to hug you till you stopped crying after you finally admitted to it.”

“...Well don’t hug me now,” Branch warned. “That’s the last thing I need, to accidentally bite my brother on the neck because he was getting mushy.”

Thistle glared, his smirk becoming devious. “If you don’t tell me what’s bothering you, not only will I muzzle you so I can hug you, I’ll ask Poppy to join me till you squeal. Us Oaks aren’t big huggers after all, isn’t that right?”

Branch had a momentary flashback to second grade, where he remembered a certain young girl giving the biggest and hardest of hugs. He could only imagine what she was capable of now.

Guy was staring again. Seriously, was he on drugs or something? This mushy shit couldn’t be real. He visibly grimaced and shrunk away.

“Listen, I’m fine, Thistle,” Branch shook his head. “I promise, I…” he trailed off again.

The impassive look Thistle gave him said he didn’t buy his bullshit for one second as he crossed his arms and didn’t even blink. Branch grew irritated.

“Fine. I just think it would be better off if I were dead. Happy?” he retorted.

Thistles face became enraged in a split second, the lines creasing darkly and his brow scrunching up till his eyes were cast in shadows making them a dark menacing blue.

“Let me guess, Rose, right?” Thistle muttered harshly. Branch paused.

“She… didn’t outright say to kill myself, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said carefully.

“Eeeh, kinda did,” Guy grumbled quietly to himself.

“It’s not what I’m asking!” Thistle snapped. “But I know her, she has a way of getting into people’s heads. Damnit, that woman!” he snarled looking away for a moment lividly.

“It’s not the first time I’ve thought this, Thistle, I’ve thought about this for years, okay?” Branch shot at him. “I’m just a fucking screw up and a menace to society, it would put a lot of people’s minds at rest if I wasn’t around!”

Thistle’s face turned on him, his mouth pinched hard. “Oh, really? Do you know what’s the damn best birthday present I’ve gotten in these past twelve years since I thought you were _dead?_ ”

Branch fell silent, looking away.

“ _You_ , you dumbass. Finding out you were fucking _alive_ all these years!”

“Yeah and a fucking undead vampire,” Branch muttered under his breath.

“That is better than finding your fucking bones, Branch. _Miles fucking better_ ,” he retorted.

Branch scowled, trying to force down the lump in his throat.

“Would you…” he started hoarsely, “Would you have wanted me to come back? When… when I got turned?”

Thistle’s face softened and he wasn’t proud of what he was going to say next but he wasn’t going to lie. “Yes. I would have even killed dad to protect you.”

Guy’s eyes were glued on the scene, bewildered and shocked at what he was looking at. Hardly even able to register what he was hearing.

Branch swallowed, pursing his lips to keep himself from crying again.

“Even if I tried to kill you?”

“Even then,” he promised. Branch grumbled to himself, shaking his head.

“Fucking… fucking hell why are you like this, Thistle? Stop being such a good guy,” he croaked, almost smiling.

Thistle smirked. “I just admitted I would kill dad and let you kill me for my own selfish feelings and you’re calling _me_ the good guy? You’re the good guy here, Branch, you decided to be alone instead of hurting others.”

“Sorry, you need glasses. That was the logical choice, I’m still a monster,” he shook his head.

Thistle snorted and shook his head. “You think you’re the monster, eh? I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You’re… not the only one that has thought about killing yourselves, you know,” Thistle said quietly.

Branch looked up.

Thistle smirked humorlessly, cynically. “I’ve been trying to kill myself for years, but the damn vampires and other monsters just don’t seem up to the job, you know? Sure, you don’t want to give it a whack? Rose isn’t around to save me this time,” he grinned opening his arms in invitation.

“I’d rather become an Esurient than kill you,” Branch growled. “Actually, I’d rather go to Hell itself.”

Thistle smirked. “See? Who’s the good guy now?” he teased his hand coming up to ruffle the messy locks of hair.

Branch snarled, jerking his head away.

“Hey, hey… don’t get so close, I can smell your blood,” he grimaced.

“Oh, right, that reminds me,” Thistle agreed and rather than pulling his arm away he presented the length of his arm to him.

Branch froze and stared. His eyes started to dilate and they flashed for just a moment before blinking up at Thistle.

“What the _hell_ are you doing?” he grunted slowly, strained.

Guy honestly wanted to know the same damn thing, this… this was… how was this _happening_ again?!

Thistle scowled, his face looking a little red. “Don’t make this weird man, just drink. You need to learn to do it anyways.”

“...Are you sure? Wouldn’t it be better to just… drink from blood bags?” he asked with a restrained whisper, feeling the urge already surging up. Trying to fight it.

“You’ll never learn to control the urge if you just drink from bags, Branch. It’s part of your nature now, it's time you accept it if you want to learn to control it,” he explained and smirked in the end.

“The hunter is telling the vampire to accept its nature… pretty sure that’s a first,” Branch snorted and Guy couldn’t help agreeing.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t a hypocrite,” Thistle retorted. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you kill me,” he promised pulling out a tranquilizer from his pack on his belt. “See? I have a tranq right here.”

Branch eyed him carefully before he focused once more on his brother’s arm. His pupils enlarged and his eyes started to glow a faint red.

“Just keep calm, remember, you _can_ control your body,” Thistle soothed quietly.

Branch felt the familiar itch as his fangs enlarged, and he opened his mouth taking a sharp unsteady breath. His body shaking slightly, some part of him still fighting some internal fear and the hunger trying to drown it out.

Thistle brought his arm closer to Branch’s mouth, and almost in the blink of an eye Branch had snapped his jaws shut over Thistle’s forearm, embedding his fangs into his skin.

Guy felt his skin crawl and he pointedly looked away, focusing on anything else. The corner of the glass cage seemed much more interesting and he pointedly fixed his eyes on it, trying to block the sounds of sucking out of his ears.

Thistle tensed just slightly, figuring his brother was fairly desperate. Geez, he didn’t ever think he’d need to be the one to teach a vampire to lick before he bit. He almost laughed at the irony of the joke going through his head at the moment as he felt his own blood escape his body and venom… starting to numb his arm after the initial pain.

Branch meanwhile… had never tasted such… he didn’t even know how to describe it. All he could think of was: _yes. This is right. This is right._  Before, deer blood had never given him such pleasure, such satisfaction.

He let himself close his eyes, just relishing in the heat spilling into his mouth. It wasn’t sweet, it had a powerful taste to it. Potent. Full of energy and vitality. It didn’t taste of fear, just calm... And he could feel the heat spreading into him as he swallowed another mouthful. The blood was heating up his core, like his heart could stir again and spreading... _life_ into his body.

His fangs were dug deep even if it was in hard muscle, just feeling the beating flow just under the surface throbbing into his fangs, into his skull and into his body…

With the taste and life in the blood he had never felt the fire in his throat so satisfied. Blood bags couldn’t compare, cold, blood already stale and dying…

_This was vastly different._

_It couldn't even begin to compare._

And his body had never felt so right as he drank actually feeling no sense of desperation. It was just… calm, as the hunger was satisfied for the first time… The first few gulps had been fast and desperate but now he was drinking slowly, savoring his meal.

He lost track of time, of how many gulps he had but he realized his hearing was keenly sharp at the moment. Listening to the beating of Thistle’s heart, listening to the swish of air going in and out of his lungs.

“Branch?”

He almost felt like he could grunt in response and to his surprise the noise did come out of him as he thought it.

“I’m… starting to get a little faint here…” Thistle chuckled sounding dizzy.

Branch slowly stopped sucking, letting out a quiet whine, not wanting to stop the glorious feeling of rejuvenation. But he also felt… in control. A strange feeling; though the desire was still strong, he felt his tongue respond to his wishes and stop sucking on the arm.  He opened his mouth wide and unsheathed his fangs from Thistle’s arm, blood dripping out of his mouth. Branch licked around his lips eagerly, trying to catch every last drop.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” suddenly screeched a voice into the room.

Guy looked up with a gulp, distracted.

“Oooh… hey, Rose,” Thistle groaned sounding like he was drunk while Branch flinched, visibly cowering. Thistle swayed and hit the table next to the metal table Branch was strapped to, dropping the tranquilizer in his hand.

“I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY HE SAID I COULD,” Branch yelped, “Oh god, did I drink him dry?! Thistle?! Thistle are you okay?!?!”

“Uhhhh… I’m fiiiine,” he slurred looking down at his arm and then grimacing holding it back up to Branch. “Would it be weird if I… uh, told you to lick it? Kinda stings a bit….”

Branch didn’t need to be told twice and stuck out his tongue, putting as much saliva as he could on the puncture wounds, more blood spilling into his mouth briefly. Then he snapped his jaw shut again, eyeing Rose with wide eyes.

Rose’s jaw was agape and she had dropped the box in her hands and it was now on the floor between her feet.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” she screeched, her hands suddenly clawing through the hair on her head. “DIDN’T YOU LOSE ENOUGH BLOOD FOR ONE DAY, THEODORE!? AND HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE OFF THE PILL!?”

“Ya shot me, used up all the blood,” he croaked looking at his arm the puncture wounds were gone. Thistle give his brother a stupid wide grin. “Thanks bro, that feels loooots better. Future note, know it’s kinda weird, maybe, I don’t know, but lick before you bite so it don’t hurt,” he chortled swaying unsteadily.

Guy was cringing. Okay, now he was seeing the famous Hunter as if he was _drunk._ Was there no fucking end to this damn weird ass day?!

Branch was feeling a horrible mixture of horror and guilt.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked weakly.

“He won’t be when I’m through with him!” Rose seethed stomping over and her fingers suddenly snatched Thistle’s ear.

“OW! OW! Woman what is yo deal!” he complained as she yanked him down to her eye level.

“Theodore Aristotle Oak…” she snarled.

Thistle groaned, looking at Branch with a pout. “Know she’s pissed when she says ma whole name like that,” he complained and suddenly he was being yanked away just saying “ouch!” every other second.

“Sorry!” Branch called after them as Rose dragged Thistle upstairs.

“Rosiiiiiie don’t be so mean!” Thistle complained from somewhere going up the stairs.

“Shut up, Theodore! You sound like a drunk idiot! And don’t fucking call me that, you fucking know better!”

“I was just teaching Branch how ta bite. Plus, it’s ma birthday, I always get drunk…”

“This year it’s going to be your funeral too!” she spat and the steel door slammed behind them.

Branch was left alone in silence for a while, worrying over Thistle’s state. He suddenly remembered how Thistle had been under the vampire blood earlier that day and he cursed at himself for not thinking of that earlier, hoping none was left in his system. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of turning his brother, but now that fear grew steadily in his mind.

Guy was speechless, completely lost for words as he tried to register all this.  

A few minutes later the door slammed open and feet were stomping furiously down the steps. Branch felt himself shrink further and further away with each footfall, knowing who was coming.

Rose rounded the corner and glared into the room. “You’re both fools!” she spat.

She stomped over and was only inches from Branch’s face. She grabbed the cuffs and they unlocked, slamming into the floor.

Branch stared. She just… _uncuffed_ him?!

Guy stared, too, incredulous. What the _fuck_ was she doing?

“If you’re going to kill him, go do it properly before I do!” she growled and suddenly the bars of the metal bed snapped open.

Branch yelped as he lost his balance and fell to the floor, Rose stepping out of the way so he didn’t crash into her. Branch looked up at her, absolutely bewildered.

Reaching down she unlocked the bolts to the chains around his body and they fell free and she took a step back.

“There are blood bags in that box if your brother wasn’t enough!” she pointed at the box angrily. “Stay down here or come up stairs, either way my gun is going to be pointed at both your heads! Poppy and I are making dinner and I don’t know what kind of monstrosity she’s doing with the oven for some moron’s birthday. So, do what you want,” she spat crossly.

“Uh…. thank you,” Branch said, slowly getting to his feet. He stepped away from her cautiously, but felt immense relief over being released from his confinement.

Guy knew most likely he would not get the same treatment so he said nothing, scooting away from the glass. His back was aching something fierce, but at least he could feel his legs to the same degree he had before he’d gotten shot there.

Her green eyes shot to him as she caught his movement. “ _You._ You we are still questioning, you’re fucking staying in there and if you try anything funny I’m bury three bullets into your back this time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Guy said quietly.

Rose snorted, satisfied and turned back to Branch.

She looked him over with a satisfied look, tense and ready and she could easily see this vampire was in its most docile state. Well fed. Especially if it had been able to _stop_ feeding on its own. She snorted at the stupidity of the situation and spun around heading for the stairs.

“Put the remaining blood bags you don’t use in the fridge when you're done, there’s one down here somewhere or the one upstairs,” she called already marching up the steps.

Branch stood there like an idiot for a few more seconds before blinking out of his stupor.

A small green square still on the floor caught his attention and he walked over, picking it up gingerly before tucking it in his pocket. He walked over to the box and opened it, but the smell, though pleasing, didn’t bring that same sense of satisfaction that the living morsel had.

 _Did I just call my brother a living morsel?_ He berated himself. He reached inside and took out a bag, ripping it open and guzzled it down.

Guy grimaced again and looked away, but he couldn’t deny a strong burning in his throat. The wound hand taken a lot out of him, his body having to heal his spinal cord _and_ spinal bones other than the muscle damage. He was starting to get hungry again.

The blood was cold, bland, yet satisfying. Branch would never think the same way about blood bags again, having originally thought they were more pleasing than deer blood to drink.

Once he finished the first bag, he reached in for another and looked at it.

He looked at it and touched his throat.

The burning was completely gone. He… wasn’t _hungry._ At _all._ And for the first time, he decided to set down the blood bag…. Feeling _satisfied._

 _Satisfied._ What a strange concept. Nor did he feel like a monster anymore thinking of only to feed. Instead… he felt normal.

Normal. Even warm.

Branch felt almost giddy as he put the bag back and wiped his face with his sleeve.

He looked at Guy. “Um… do you, uh, want one?”

Guy blinked and looked up at Branch and immediately wrinkled his nose at the thought of drinking from a blood bag. But he paused, reasoning these hunters _definitely_ weren’t going to give him the same treatment as Branch and let him feed from a living body.

“...Might as well,” he grunted sourly.

Branch stared at him confused, blinking once and his eyes narrowed.

“Why do you sound so… upset about it?” he asked finally, not sure why he did.

Guy sighed, grimacing.

“Blood bags aren’t exactly conventional,” he said with a small shrug.

“Conventional?” he echoed, glowering and his stare growing hard.

Guy stared evenly at Branch, his eyes drooping after a moment.

“You and I come from two very different worlds, Branch,” he said quietly. “But there’s a certain amount of life energy we drink from humans, it’s not just blood. You can’t get that from blood bags, it won’t satisfy you as long.”

Branch frowned, before now he wouldn’t have believed that… But as he looked down at his hands, recalling the rejuvenating sensation from drinking his brother’s blood, the sense of heat… Like he was coming back to life…

He could get it now, and he grimaced.

“I think I get what you mean but… I still think it’s wrong to treat humans like cattle, I rather have blood bags than do that,” he growled adamantly, meeting Guy’s eyes with hard blue eyes.

“...Honestly?” Guy whispered, not even knowing why he was even saying this. “I… don’t blame you, but… I… don’t really have a choice.”

Branch scowled, “We _all_ have a choice, everything else is an excuse.”

“Not me,” Guy grunted. “This vamp doesn’t have a choice.”

Branch glared confused, not sure what to make of it.

“I honestly don't get it, but, whatever,” he grunted with a shrug, bending down and grabbing a bag. He walked over to the glass cage and looked it over, finding a thin slot with a steel cover. He shoved the bag in and it slid across the floor to Guy.

Guy glanced at the bag with a wrinkled nose and he looked rather sick as he quickly looked away.

Branch grunted and turned back and he picked up the box of blood bags, looking around for that fridge to put it in.

Not seeing one in the immediate vicinity, he decided to bring it upstairs. He walked over to the stone steps where he paused and looked up. The door was hanging open at the top, and through it he heard voices. He slowly climbed up the stairs, one at a time. Pausing, hesitating at the top, gulping nervously.

Was this really safe? He may not feel that hunger anymore but… who was to say it wouldn’t reappear when he was around multiple people?

Branch almost turned around again to go back downstairs when an earth-shattering shriek made him jump.

“BRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCH!” 

“I SAID DON’T GET NEAR HIM!” Rose screamed. But no one could stop the thundering Pink Nightmare herself as she barreled towards Branch and nearly knocked him down the stairs in a bone crushing hug.

The box of blood went flying and tumbled down the steps. Thankfully no bags burst but they were now littered everywhere, covering the stairs.

Branch went rigid, completely unused to the sensation of arms squeezing him tight.

The clicking of a gun was suddenly by his ear and sharp fingers grabbed Poppy’s ear and yanked her backwards.

“OW, Roooose,” Poppy complained.

“I TOLD YOU TO THINK OF HIM LIKE A DOG IN TRAINING! THAT MEANS NO TOUCHING TILL WE’VE TAUGHT HIM NOT TO BITE!” she snapped pulling her back hard by the ear.

Branch wasn’t sure if he should be insulted by that analogy or agree with it. He was just glad Poppy’s arms weren’t around him anymore.

“Uhm… Hi, Poppy,” he muttered at last.

Poppy turned back around and gave him the biggest smile he’d ever seen someone wear. She certainly hadn’t changed much since he last saw her, but now he was staring at her in the open, and not from behind a bush or a billboard. She looked positively even more beautiful than he recalled, her eyes sparkling with joy and her hair neatly tied in a ponytail that cast flowing pink locks down her neck.

“Hi!” she squeaked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “OH, my gaaaaahh, it’s so good to _see_ you again,” she cried.

“...You, too,” Branch replied awkwardly.

“You’re so… so BIG! I mean not as big as Thistle but MAN puberty did you good. I mean your hair’s a total wreck and you have blood all over you—hey is there a bathroom in this place, or a washing machine? Branch could use it. No offense,” she quickly said, waving her arms.

“I’ve got extra clothes,” Thistle’s voice groaned tiredly from the couch. Branch immediately looked over to his brother and walked over to him, making sure not to get _too_ close with Rose still holding onto her gun like that.

“Hey, Thistle…you okay?” Branch asked sheepishly.

Thistle looked up, smirking from where he sat with a blood transfusion hooked up to the arm he had offered Branch, now completely clean. “To be honest, I’d feel a lot better if Shrimp stopped yelling,” he coughed casting a stare at the pink haired girl.

Poppy flushed.

“Sorry, I get loud when I’m excited,” she apologized.

“No kidding,” Rose grumbled tucking her gun back away again. “Now are you going to help me cook or not, Poppy? Thistle and I haven’t eaten since yesterday. That’s almost twenty-four hours! I don’t know about you guys but I can’t live off perpetual regenerating sugar levels or free blood donations,” she snarked.

“I’ll… go wash up,” Branch muttered.

“I’ll get you a change of clothes,” Thistle mumbled pushing himself up, grabbing onto the metal post on wheels holding the transfusion.

“SIT YOUR ASS DOWN, THEODORE!” Rose yelled from the kitchen counter.

Thistle scowled. “Make me…” he muttered even as he shook as he stood up.

“If you don’t sit _right now_ I will shoot a tranquilizer at your ass!” she threatened suddenly stabbing the knife she had into a cutting board.

“Just tell me where the clothes are,” Branch said quickly. A strange tightness was growing in his chest, just barely noticeable.  

“You may be my brother but you're not touching my truck,” Thistle affronted playfully, smirking.

“Branch, I will personally go get those clothes if you shove your brother’s ass back on that couch! _Right now!_ ” Rose spat pointing the knife dangerously in their direction.

Branch smirked at Thistle and nudged him back towards the couch.

Wide-eyed Thistle couldn't believe what was happening as a hand touch his chest and darn it all if he wasn’t so weak that he fell back into the seat with a loud grunt with a simple little shove.

“Just you wait till I have my pills again…” he grumbled. Branch smirked again but then that got him worrying, making him frown as he thought about the vampire pills.

“Don’t worry, Thistle,” Poppy called over her shoulder from the kitchen, “You’re always a force to be reckoned with, even in the state you’re in right now!”

Thistle made a weird face and glanced at the girl. “Is she being smart with me?” he asked confused.

“I’m trying to give a compliment!” Poppy cried.

Thistle grunted and still wasn’t so sure.

“Thistle…” Branch muttered and Thistle looked up at him curiously. “You’re not turning… are you?” he gulped with obvious dread.

Thistle’s eyes widened. “No, of course not. If I was you’d all know it. I’d be screaming in pain and you’d be able to smell it.”

 _Smell it?_ What did Thistle mean by that?

“You!” Rose snapped at Branch as she walked by towards the door. “Stay put and don’t even think about biting Poppy, her blood is laced with poison, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Branch said quickly.

Rose exited and as she slammed the door Thistle shivered dramatically.

“Is she scary or what?”

“Fuck yeah. Is she your girlfriend?”

“Don’t worry, she’ll warm—what?!” Thistle suddenly yelled his face flushing as he looked up at Branch. “How did you learn about girlfriends? And, no!”

“I did read books, you know,” Branch raised an eyebrow. “And I was just checking.”

Thistle grimaced. “Well don’t bother. It’s forbidden for Hunter partners to get romantic with each other, and I’m not really… interested,” he grumbled the last words so quietly only Branch hear them. Thistle sullenly sinking his chin into his fist and looking out the window.

“...Makes sense,” Branch muttered.

“No, it doesn’t, it’s stupid!” Poppy called from the kitchen. “People should date who they wanna date!”

“I’ll be sure to tell that to whatever bloodsucker has been making a snack out of you when I find it,” Thistle countered dryly. “Consent is everything after all.”

“...what—what are you saying?” Poppy turned around, confused. “Did you just call my boyfriend a vampire?!”

Thistle scowled and looked over. “No?” he echoed out. “Why? Do you think he might be one now that you know about them?” he asked seriously.

“Pfffffft, _Creek_? He couldn’t be more different than a vampire,” Poppy cackled. “He’s a vegetarian and a Buddhist and he could never hurt anyone. Pfft.”

“Have you seen him eat lettuce in front of you?”

“Duh. We’ve even cooked together.”

“Definitely not a vampire then,” Thistle said unbothered, shrugging it off. “Vegetables taste worse than shit to vampires, never met one that hasn’t gagged as soon as it touched its tongue.”

Branch was frowning, worried.

“Uh… did you just say someone was making a snack out of Poppy?”

“Yeah,” Thistle grumbled. “And by the look of it, for some time now. If you look closely at her neck you’ll see the silvery marks only vampire eyes can see. I spotted them this morning on her. Rose thought it might be you, now we think it’s the other one downstairs,” he admitted.

Just then the door swung open again and Rose inspected the three of them before grunting satisfied. She dumped the black duffle bag next to Thistle on the couch and marched back into the kitchen.

“Thanks, Rose,” Thistle called after her and she grunted. Branch grabbed the duffle bag and unzipped it, opening it up.

“Hey!” Thistle snapped yanking the bag back. “Dude, don’t go snooping through people’s shit, man.”

“Just getting a change of clothes…” Branch muttered. The tightness in his chest began to spike some more, but he pushed away the feeling.

“I got you covered,” Thistle grumbled plopping the bag on his lap and going through the contents. He pulled out a pair of jeans a black belt and then a black t-shirt. “Might fit you a little big but not too much,” he mused handing the clothes over to him.

“You like black, huh?” Branch observed the contents of Thistle’s bag.

Thistle gave him a lazy look. “Like my soul,” was his dramatic and monotone reply. Branch took the clothes and looked around.

“Where can I change?” he asked.

“Bathroom is upstairs first door to your right,” Rose said simply not looking up from the vegetables she was dicing. “Poppy do you know how to cook steak?” she asked glancing at her friend who was doing who knows what with a bowl in her hands.

“I cooked it once in a dream. It turned into a dinosaur I think halfway through cooking it.”

Rose let out a groaning laugh, “Get out of the way Ms. Sugar, you make the salad. Even _you_ should know how to do that.”

“Ooh yes, I do know how to make salad,” Poppy grinned.

As the girls started to cook Thistle groaned and leaned back into the couch, his eyes a little hazy as he tossed the bag at his feet.

Branch followed Rose’s directions and took the clothes upstairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He slowly faced the mirror above the sink and froze. The spotted, rusty mirror in Branch’s bunker wasn’t anything remotely close to this. He inspected his matted, greasy long hair, and what used to be pale skin but now had a…. Almost normal look to it. His cheeks were more colorful and… he looked, well, _alive._

Branch gingerly grabbed the edge of his hoodie and pulled up, yanking it over his head.

 _God,_ he reeked. He smelled of dead things and blood, and the two combined was… probably not very pleasant to normal humans.

He shimmied his pants off of himself and grabbed the clean clothes Thistle had given him. He pulled on the jeans and had to make the belt extra tight just so they wouldn’t fall down his waist. Even then the jeans bunched up at his feet somewhat. He pulled on the shirt, which was a little baggy on his smaller frame but not bad. He pulled out the wallet from his old jeans and transferred it to his new pants.

Suddenly Branch wasn’t sure if he wanted to join the company downstairs. He plopped himself down on the toilet seat, much preferring the contained silence the bathroom offered him.

It was strange; he’s always hated being alone but now that he was in someone’s company he found himself preferring solitude. If he had a heartbeat, he was sure it would be fluttering. Even then his muscles tensed and he gripped his knees. He took a sharp breath and it felt like it was suffocating in his lungs that didn't even need the air.

Every muscles was seizing, his mind starting to draw back to the forest, feeling like one of the deer he chased.

_Run._

Some incoherent instinct told him to bolt, to rush out into the darkening forest and not look back. The racing got louder in his head like hooves were stampeding in his ears. His chest tightened considerably, painfully.

It felt as if it was getting worse, each second ticking and every sound seem to cascade into his ears, deafening. To the point that he couldn’t even _hear_.

“Branch?” asked a worried, calm voice behind the door.

Branch looked up, unaware he’d suddenly been clutching his knees to his chest and wheezing into his kneecaps. He swallowed.

“Be—be right out,” he gasped.

“Branch… it’s okay,” Thistle’s voice said simply, comforting even.

“Just give me a second!” Branch gripped his hair, the wheezing refusing to stop.

There was silence then Thistle’s voice came a few moments later.

“If you want to run, it’s okay, Branch. I understand. I’ll be waiting if you decide to come back,” he said quietly and a body slipped to the floor outside the door. “I’m here for you, okay? I’ll be quiet now,” he promised and just like that Thistle fell silent.

Branch squeezed his eyes shut. Everything was telling him to run, to get out, and he didn’t know why. He needed space to think, to digest everything that had happened today, in a mere few hours. It was just _too_ much.

“Might—might take you up on that offer,” Branch winced. “Need—need air. Just… need air.”

“...slip out the window, _quietly_ ,” Thistle whispered. “I’ll see you outside if you want.”

“Okay, okay,” Branch wheezed, getting up and shoving the bathroom window open.

He gripped the edge of the windowsill and pushed his body through, jumping out. Landing softly on the grass outside two stories down and taking a deep breath of the cool evening air, washing over him in a relieving way.

Thistle was already walking down the stairs, he was holding the transfusion bag in his hand and getting fed up with it. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairway he yanked the needle out, plastered the bandage down hard and tossed the bag on the couch. He grabbed a random black shirt from his bag and yanked it on.

“Is he coming down?” Rose asked suspiciously over Poppy’s loud humming.

“In a minute,” Thistle lied smoothly. “I’m going outside to get some things from the truck, alright?”

“You shouldn’t be moving so much,” Rose argued.

“I’ll be fine, Rose,” he deflected, opening the door and slipping out.

He pulled out the keys to his truck and walked down the stairs and headed over.

Branch was pacing in a circle near the truck, running a hand through his head. He looked up when Thistle approached.

“I’m sorry, I don't—I didn't mean to be like this, I don’t know what’s wrong with me I just need space,” he winced.

Thistle smiled sympathetically and walked over, his large hand landing on Branch’s head and ruffling his hair. “It’s fine, I—believe it or not I know how you feel. After I heard...that you died,” he swallowed. “I didn’t let anyone get near me except Rose and I had rage and panic attacks. I know what you’re feeling,” he said simply. “It’s a lot to take in one day after twelve years alone, especially after how we scared you,” he figured letting go of Branch’s head and opening the truck door.

Branch honestly didn’t know what to say to that, but he listened, still fighting his own panic in silence.

Thistle reached into the front seat, opened the glove compartment and snatched out a long-distance radio. He tossed it to Branch.

“Get out of here, before Rose notices. Just...call me, when you...can. Alright? I’m here for you,” his voice catching painfully and damn it it all if he wanted to hide it but he looked downcasted already.

Branch caught the radio with a trembling hand and took a few steps back. He looked up at Thistle and smiled weakly.

“Happy Birthday, Thistle,” he said. And then he was gone.

Thistle smirked, watching the blur vanish into the trees. Thinking to himself it was still the damn best birthday he had in twelve years, hell, in his whole life.

He just hoped Branch did call him back...

“You let him go,” came the quiet accusatory voice, fury just masked under the surface but also no surprise.

He looked up finding Rose on the porch, glaring at him passively. He knew she was going to catch him, she was sharp and he knew her too well.

“I know what you’re going to say, Rose,” he sighed.

“Really?” she asked with slight sarcasm, an auburn brow arching.

“He’s my responsibility. If anything happens, it’s on my head. I know. I know he’s still dangerous. I know it's stupid to just let him go, but he’s well fed now and he hasn’t hurt anyone in twelve years!” his voice starting to rise as he tried to convince her. “He’s been all alone and… I know I can help him, Rose. I want to give him a chance, there might be another way than what our kind have been doing for centuries. I just...know it,” he said adamantly looking at her almost desperately.

Rose frowned, her eyes looking out into the forest for a moment before looking back at him. Her green eyes were calm, deep in thought, even a little sad.

“I hope you’re right, Thistle. I really do,” she said honestly.

He looked at her shocked, a pleased smile crossing his face. She smiled back, shaking her head at him hopelessly.

“Does that mean you’ll help me?” he asked hopefully, his smile getting wider.

“Of course, I will,” she scoffed like it was obvious. “Partners for life, isn’t that what you said once?” she reminisced her voice regaining a gentler cast as she stared at him.

Thistle chuckled. “Look at you, breaking the rules. Never thought I’d see it.”

“Then that makes us both fools,” she joked back. “But don’t get me wrong, I’m only doing it because it means I’ll see you smile more,” she admitted with a teasing tone, making him flash that lopsided grin that popped a dimple on his cheek. “Get back in here, you dummy. Oh, and… Happy Birthday.”

Thistle simpered and pulled out a radio to put on his belt permanently before he locked the truck up again and walked back towards the cabin.

Yup. He was sure of it now. This was the best damn birthday ever.

 


	12. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a few changes here. Sorry for the absence!

* * *

Branch was blazing through the trees.

How was it that he could feel panic when he had no heartbeat?

But damn it all if it didn't feel like the muscles across his chest were tightening so hard that he felt his ribs might crack and crush under the pressure and snap his sternum and collapse into his spine.

He was wheezing for air and each breath was nightmarishly painful, the muscles feeling tighter and tighter across his chest with each breath. The bit in his stomach turning it into knots. There was a thrumming in his skull, just kicking at his brain when he suddenly stopped running.

Where was he?!

He didn’t even know where he was as he looked around at the unfamiliar tall pines!

The branches clawing down from the sky towards him…looking like they wanted to shove him into the earth…

He sucked in another sharp painful breath, his hands shaking and he tried to remind himself not to break the device in his hand. He wanted to sweat so bad, to feel his heart screaming.

And yet without it he could still feel what his deer felt before they died.

He shoved the walkie-talkie in his pocket and realized he had left his dirty clothes behind… The long pants already looked grimy as the ends collected around his feet.

WHERE THE FUCK WAS HE?!

He wanted to cry so bad and he ended up whining painfully through his clenched teeth as his fingers snared through his hair.

He looked around, looking for any familiar sign...

_Breathe._

_Just breathe._ Said some voice in his head.

He took a deep breath, trying to clear his head...the sounds of rustling pine needles...quiet chirps and skittering of animals… It was safe. Ironically. It was safe out here.

He caught the smell of the fuel of the truck and raced in its direction. When he found the tracks he found his way to the highway and across it....his woods.

_Home._

He let out a relieved shuddering breath and knew his way back home. He didn’t stop for anything as he raced back under the growing night.

As he found himself before his bunker he felt the pain constraining his chest slowly start to subside, but it was still there, keeping him on edge.

The smell of blood was still in the air, it was faint and stale. He sniffed and to his surprise it did still call to his senses but he didn't not feel the slightest inclination to go after it. He was in complete control.

Absolutely calm.

He let out a harsh laugh and a weak smile, he couldn’t believe it!

He was in  _control._

He didn’t have to listen to his body and chase after it because he wasn’t starving.

To think he had it backwards all these years! He felt like an idiot.

He felt  _less_  like a vampire now than he had before. The fire in his throat wasn’t clawing for control of his brain and body, demanding to be sated. If he ate now, it would be to indulge, not out of hunger and like hell he was going to do that. He didn’t need it, he wasn’t going to drink it.

Who would have guessed his brother, who had been out to kill him that morning, would save him instead?

Branch frowned.

_Thistle._

He hadn’t seen his brother in twelve year and he never thought that would have changed… His mind started playing back what they had said to each other and Branch felt his panic rise and lessen at the same time…

His brother was a fucking Hunter...and he hadn’t killed him… In fact he had protected him and even given him  _his blood._   _Willingly. Happily._

Branch couldn’t wrap his mind around the insanity and it had just happened!

With a dreary sigh he found the door to his bunker still wide open like he had left it in his mad frenzy to feed. Branch walked inside, slamming it shut behind him and locking it.

Safety and familiarity washed over him and he felt like he could finally breathe.

The bunker was dark, and he traveled down the incline hall till he reached the bottom. His hands sunk in his pockets and the walkie-talkie pressed into his fingers in one hand. He pulled it out and stared at in the dark, conflicted.

As he made it to his room, Branch looked inside and tossed the device on the desk then his wallet and plopped down on the noisy bed.

He felt utterly exhausted, not physically but mentally. His body right now felt like it could burst into speed and he could race as far as he wanted without getting tired.

Closing his eyes Branch just wanted to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Poppy was hugging her knees, trying to not fall over as the truck jostled her body. And she had just eaten to boot, probably a bad idea in hindsight. 

“We there yet?” she mumbled to Rose, who was driving the truck.

“Almost!” Rose laughed as they came down the trail towards the highway over the last rocks in there way.

“Do you have any more of those stomach acid thingies? _OooGHWAH!”_ Poppy made a rather incoherent noise as they went over a rather large rock before finally getting onto the highway.

“Oops,” Rose apologized. “Sorry, I’m not as good as Thistle, don’t tell him I went over that rock, okay? The Tums are in the glove compartment in front of you,” she pointed out.

Poppy opened the glove compartment and reached inside, digging her hand around to look for the tums. She froze as her hand gripped something that most definitely _wasn’t_ a Tums bottle and slowly pulled out a…

“Why is there a _grappling hook_ in the glove compartment?” Poppy stared at Rose incredulously, holding up the device.

“You’re in the truck of a Hunter, are you going to be surprised by everything you find in here?” Rose chortled.

 “Point taken, but still.” Poppy put down the grappling hook and found the tums stuffed in the back of the compartment. She grabbed the bottle and poured a few into her hand, popping them into her mouth.

“You know,” Rose sighed leaning back into the seat driving down the smooth road without a rush in the world. “I’m sort of glad you know this secret now, not entirely, with the death looming over bit. But...I’m glad you know,” she admitted.

Poppy smiled at her friend.

“I’m glad I know too,” she said. “I can’t believe _Guy…_ And Branch! I still can’t believe he’s _alive!_ I mean... how long did he say he’d been alone?!”

Rose frowned at that and didn't know what to say, she personally still didn’t trust Branch’s nature as willingly as Thistle had and although she was happy for Thistle… she was worried. Guy was a different issue altogether she doubted they would let live.

“Twelve years.”

“ _Twelve… freaking fruity-tooty-loops,_ I couldn’t imagine being alone for that long,” Poppy hugged herself. “Who was there when he got sick? Who was there to wish him happy birthday? Who was there to...to give him a hug when he felt lonely?”

“Vampires don’t get sick, not in the conventional way at least,” Rose sighed. “Everything else, no one, I guess.” She had to admit that was a pretty miserable existence, even for a vampire. For a moment she felt a scrap of pity for Branch before she reminded herself why she shouldn’t let herself sympathize with him.

“But I just don’t understand why he left so suddenly,” Poppy added. “I mean...He’s been alone for twelve years, why would he just leave? Wouldn’t he be… I don’t know, _wanting_ the company?”

Rose frowned and glanced at Poppy. “I don’t know, Poppy. I’m not that _kind_ of doctor. I’m not a psychologist. But he has been alone for a long time, with no… _human_ interaction,” she muttered the word strangely, strained. “But Thistle went through something similar. He needs time to come to terms with everything before confronting it again.”

“Hmm…” Poppy mulled this over in her mind for a few minutes. “I guess… it _is_ a lot to take in. Hell even _I’m_ looking forward to just crashing on my bed after all this— _vampires, werewolves, Branch, Guy_ … _You._ I’m still not sure if this is a dream made up from a sugar-coma.”

“Poppy this would be a _nightmare_ , not a dream,” Rose laughed half amused.

“But Branch is alive and Thistle got his brother back. That’s not nightmare stuff,” Poppy pointed out.

Rose didn’t know what to say to that, all the negatives leapt into mind first.

“I… guess,” she muttered reluctantly. “I still think… it can end in a nightmare, though.”

“Or it could end like a daydream,” Poppy grinned.

“Nothing concerning vampires has ever ended in a daydream, Poppy,” Rose said grimly not taking her eyes off the road.

“Maybe that’s because you’ve only encountered the bad ones,” her friend replied quietly.

Rose snorted with derision, an ugly smirk pulling at her lips. “Remember that story I told you about how my parents died?”

“Yeah?” Poppy paused carefully. “They… weren’t _also_ killed by vampires, were they? And the… uh… fire was… a cover up? I’m only asking because Branch’s death was also—,”

“No,” Rose cut in harshly. “They were killed by Hunters, _a Hunter_ specifically when they tried to bargain their daughter to a Pureblood to gain immortality and then once they were turned tried to drink her dry themselves.”

Poppy gaped, horrified.

_They what?!_

_Her own parents?!_

“Vampirism, Poppy… brings out the very worst of human nature and tenfolds it,” she whispered coldly.

“I…” Poppy searched for the right words to say, none of them sounding quite right. “I’m sorry,” she finally whispered.

Rose smirked ironically and glanced at Poppy, her eyes softening with fondness. “I guess that explains why I was so mad when you first met me when we were little, doesn’t it?”

“I just thought you had anger issues. That didn’t stop me from loving you though, nor does it stop me now,” Poppy said truthfully. And after a moment's hesitation, added, “And it won't stop me from loving Branch or Guy, either. He’s our friend, Rose! I… I get that what you went through was horrible but I can just _see_ it in Branch’s eyes that he’s not a monster. He just needs help. And I _know_ Guy isn’t a monster, he said he was hemophobic!”

Rose raised a cynical eyebrow at that.

“And… You said vampirism brings out the worst in people? Well, that just means it’ll be a little tougher to bring out their best,” Poppy continued.

Rose was frowning again, looking at the road. “I think Thistle would agree with you, Poppy. I… I’ll try but don’t ask me to forget what they are capable of, because I can’t,” she whispered her voice growing distant.

“They just need a chance,” Poppy smiled. “After all, everyone deserves to be happy.”

“Even vampires?” Rose laughed sarcastically.

“Even them! ... _sometimes_ ,” Poppy added frowning, thinking back to what Rose had said about her own parents. Some people… really _were_ cruel. _Monsters._

Rose let out a quiet snort about to open her mouth when suddenly a chain of dings echoed in the cabin as the town's lights came into view over the horizon in the dark sky. Frowning she looked at Poppy curiously. Poppy quickly realized the dings were coming from her pocket and dug into it, bringing out her phone. She paled.

“I have… five hundred text messages and twenty missed calls from my dad and… I’m gonna guess fifty missed calls from all my friends,” she gulped. _This wasn’t good._

“Is that even possible?” Rose hissed in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m looking at it. Oh geez, my dad is really worried,” she gripped her hair, scrolling through the messages her father had left her. “I’d better call him back real quick.”

She quickly pressed the phone button but before she could call her father, Rose’s hand slapped over her phone screen.

“Wait! What are you going to tell him? You know you can’t tell anyone about this, right?”

“Uuhh…” Poppy froze, wide eyed. “Well… I could tell him… that I went for a hike? You could drop me off near the edge of town and I could walk back!”

“Look,” Rose sighed. “You can tell him I took you rock climbing with the truck, okay? Don’t tell anyone that Thistle is here though, we don’t know who’s feeding on you or how many vampires you might have infesting this town. For all you know, one of your “friends” might be the one using you as a snack.”

“Is Thistle famous or something in the vampire world?”

“You… could _definitely_ say that,” Rose sighed. “His father is currently the head of the Hunters, and their family line, the Oaks, is famous for being Hunters. Thistle is the best Hunter anyone has seen in over a few hundred years. He killed _three_ Purebloods. You can _definitely_ say he’s famous, he’s only been a Hunter officially for six years and he’s already killed three Purebloods. Not a lot of Hunters can claim as much in their entire careers.”

“What’s so special about Purebloods anyway?” Poppy asked. “How are they different than regular vampires?” Rose made a face, quiet for a moment.

“Purebloods… are _powerful,_ Poppy,” Rose said darkly. “They can do things no other vampire can, they are monsters without equal in strength and ravenous in appetite. One Pureblood could enslave an entire town if it wanted, they can enslave even their own kind to do their bidding, completely rob others of their free will…”

“Oh…” Poppy said slowly.

“And they are almost impossible to kill,” she hissed tensely. “Thistle may have killed three but two of those nearly killed _him_.”

Poppy felt her stomach churn again, but it wasn’t from the road. “You don’t think there are Purebloods in _this_ town, do you?” she asked hesitantly.

“I hope not, I really hope not,” Rose breathed her eyes narrowing and her green eyes suddenly glowed in the dark before the shine dulled back to normal.

“...Change of subject, but could you give me whatever it is that makes your eyes glow?! That is _freaking_ cool,” Poppy pointed at Rose’s face, grinning.

Rose blinked and turned wide eyes on Poppy before laughing at the silliness of it all.

“No! Definitely not! Someone untrained like you drinking vampire blood pills would likely drive you insane and then kill you. That’s why we start taking them around ten so our bodies can adapt to them and we learn to control our mood swings, the bloodlust, and our tempers before we even hit puberty and have a higher chance of surviving,” she mentioned seriously. “Not to mention that you are taking blood poisoners right now, drinking both together would kill you in less than an hour. So don’t even think about it!” she snapped seriously, eyeing her for a moment.

Poppy shuddered.

“Yeah, point taken, point taken,” she backed off. “But it still looks cool.”

“I guess? If you like that sort of thing,” Rose chuckled as they passed the first house in the town.

“It adds to the bad-ass effect you give off,” Poppy said. “Like if someone didn’t think you were menacing before, but then your eyes would go “ _WHAA_ ” and then he’d be like “OH SHIT!”,” she cackled.

Rose cackled with her, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all. “Weren’t you going to call your dad? We’re almost at your house you know,” Rose said rolling her eyes.

“OH SHIT!” Poppy scrambled for her phone before dialing her father’s number. It took a split second for him to answer the phone. “Dad!! Dad hey, dad sorry dad, got your messa—,”

“ _Where on earth have you been?! Where are you now?!”_ Peppy’s voice, who had never yelled in his life at Poppy as far as she was aware, yelled into the phone.

“I—Dad, dad, I’m fine! I’m sorry I forgot to leave a note at home, I was rock climbing!”

_“Rock climbing?!”_ The voice on the other end grew bewildered.

“Yeah—Dad you know Rose? Rose from grade school? I’ve been keeping up with her since then and she finally found the time to visit and come over and we went rock climbing! Did I not tell anyone this?”

_“...You mean that girl who always made mud pies? And threw them at people?”_

Rose winced, grinning devilishly to herself, trying to hold in a laugh. She could hear everything right now.

“The one and the same! I could’ve _sworn_ I told you she was coming over!” Poppy said loudly. “Sorry if it slipped my mind, and sorry if I caused a huge panic!”

_“A huge panic? I had to call the police!”_

Poppy paled. Oops.

Sure enough, as Poppy’s house came into view, there was a police car—and the vehicles of some her friends—parked outside. She inwardly groaned.

“I’m driving up now, be there in a sec, Dad,” she said into the phone. “I’m really sorry!! Like, SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER sorry to make you worry,” she cried.

_“I know you are sweetheart, but you should have been more careful to tell me these things! I was worried sick, especially after what happened last night, I wasn’t sure what to think! Oh, I see you pulling up now—good lord, what sort of car is that?!”_

“Uh… A hummer?” She turned to Rose, confused. “Is it a hummer?”

Rose grinned and snorted through her nose shaking her head. “Not even close, girl,” she snickered. “This thing is two times bigger than a Hummer. It’s a Terradyne Gurkha RPV. Canadian.”

Thank god Rose had dressed in civilian clothes, and left the weapons in the Hunter’s cabin as she drove for the curb. Although she did still have her personal handgun in its holster but she wasn’t worried, she was carrying her concealed carriers license as per usual, but just in case she pulled her shirt down over it.

“It’s a… terradyne… jerky thingy, I dunno,” Poppy shook her head, “Okay, see you soon Dad!” she hung up the phone just as Rose swung in front of the house and pulled the car to a stop. Poppy quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door, jumping out and hitting the ground after a brief fall from the tall vehicle.

Immediately her friends Suki, Cooper, Chenille, Satin, Biggie and Smidge were there all hugging her and crying out.

“Are you okay?!” Satin and Chenille asked cupping Poppy’s face and looking her over.

“Where the heck were you?!” Suki scolded.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, guys!” Poppy said immediately, wrapping her arms around her friends.

 “Who’s the hot chick?” Cooper asked, staring at Rose as she climbed out of the giant truck.

“ _Really_ , Cooper?” Poppy banged his shoulder, “That’s Rose! You know, from second grade?!”

“What?!” he squawked and Smidge laughed by his side.

“Well, I was in fifth grade,” Rose corrected as she walked up with a broad and friendly smile and stopped some feet away.

Suki froze, staring at the girl and taking a step back closer to Biggie who patted her shoulder.

“Well _we_ were in second grade. Anyway, she came in town for a visit and we went rock climbing!” Poppy said energetically.

“With the truck,” Rose added. “I had to show it off to her,” she explained with a grin.

“May I add it was such a… _smooth_ ride,” Poppy grinned cheekily at Rose.

“Smooth burn, Poppy,” Rose cooed back giving her a wink.

“But anyway, I am _so, so sorry you guys,_ I was so caught up in excitement that I completely forgot to message you guys about me not being around today and—Gah, can you forgive me?” Poppy cried, clasping her hands and looking at her friends pleadingly.

“Of course, girl!” Chenille cried, hugging her tight. “But you had everyone worried! Creek’s been texting us this whole time!”

“Have you seen Guy?” Suki suddenly asked, frowning.

“He’s been gone all day too,” Satin added worriedly. “I thought he was going to take me out on a date today…”

“He’s not answering any of our texts!” Chenille huffed, crossing her arms. “He better have a good excuse for standing Satin up like that _and_ our photo shoot!”

“I… uh… do not,” Poppy said slowly, her voice cracking slightly as her eyes flitted to Rose for a moment. Rose didn’t even flinch, giving her a steady glare to keep quiet.

Poppy winced as her father approached them. She gave a very sheepish wave. “Heeeyyy… Dad…”

“Mayor Corona,” Rose greeted slipping past Poppy, tensing for a moment but her smile never left her as she offered her hand to the mayor. “I sincerely apologize for the scare! I asked Poppy twice if she had left you a note or something but I really should have checked, she can be a real airhead sometimes can’t she? It’s so good to see you again, though!”

Poppy’s cheeks were flushed red and her mouth dropped open, but she closed it and crossed her arms with a huff.

Mayor Corona was impressed, taking Rose’s hand into a shake.

“Least you have some manners, something my daughter could learn from,” he chuckled, earning a _“Hey!”_ from Poppy. “Yes, my Poppy can be quite forgetful which is why I didn't think too much into it at first, but when her friends kept calling me asking where she was I began to grow worried. It wasn’t like her to not answer her phone.”

“Sorry, no service,” Poppy grimaced.

“I’ll be sure to make sure I leave you a message next time too,” Rose smiled letting go of his hand. “Really sorry about that.”

“Ma’am? Do you have a license for that?” asked the officer that walked up pointing to her gun on her waist.

“Certainly officer, let me get that for you…” Rose said stepping aside with the man and taking out her wallet.

While Rose was busy with the officer, Poppy turned back to her father and friends, still quite sheepish.

“Sorry,” she said again. “Has Creek been really worried?” she asked concerned.

“Yeah, but everything’s cool now that you’re here,” Satin said putting her phone away, “I just texted him.”

“She has a gun?!” Cooper suddenly squawked out of the blue, staring at Rose.

“Pff… not _a_ gun,” Poppy snickered. “She’s got a freaking _ton_ of…. Uh,” her mind went a mile a minute trying to cover up her small blunder. “I mean… she’s got a collection. At home. That she showed me pictures of.”

Her friends were looking a little freaked out right about now.

“What! She likes them!” Poppy defended. “She’s not… really a… girly type?”

“You mean a tomboy?” Smidge deadpanned.

“That’s an understatement, she’s got more muscle than _you_ ,” Suki muttered to Smidge, glancing towards Rose warily. Smidge scowled, flexing one of arms and inspecting it.

“Yeah, I mean what's wrong with liking guns? As long as you know how to _use_ them and _holy freaking cow does she know how to use them, like hell._ If there was a zombie apocalypse, I’d want Rose on my team,” Poppy said. Then she paused, wondering if there even _was_ such a thing as zombies; if vampires existed, why couldn’t they? She would have to ask Rose.

“Thankfully, zombies aren’t real, Poppy,” Rose chuckled coming up to her and draping her arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders as the police car pulled out and left.

“Heh, yeah,” Poppy giggled, though inside she wasn’t so giddy as the thought of undead flesh eaters popping out of graves.

“Poppy… I need to tell you something,” Rose hissed quickly in her ear before letting her go.

“Mm?” Poppy hummed back.

“You’re zipper is down.”

“WHA—,” hands went flying down and there was a small zipping noise as Poppy fixed her zipper. Her cheeks were a cherry red. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“Well, gotta go,” Rose sighed turning back to the truck and she grabbed Poppy’s pocket from behind and gave it a light tug. “Nice meeting you guys, let’s have a drink or something while I’m in town, alright? I’ve heard a lot about all of you,” she beamed. “Good night, Mr. Corona!” she waved heading for the truck hoping Poppy finally got the discrete signal.

Poppy stared blankly for a second before jumping to action.

“Right! Yes, hold on guys gotta give my friend a GOODBYE HUG!” she cried, racing over to the truck and jumping onto Rose.

“Omph! Was that necessary?” Rose huffed hugging her back.

“Completely,” Poppy grinned, squeezing hard.

“Well don’t let go yet,” Rose muttered turning her eyes down as she whispered. “But one of your friends is a werewolf and one is a banshee.”

Poppy’s blood turned to ice. She slowly looked up at Rose, her eyes peeled open wide.

“Wh… which ones?” she whispered, hardly even making a noise.

“I can’t tell with all of them bunched up, my nose isn’t as strong as his,” she muttered unhappily with the fact as wished Thistle was there at the moment but she had left him back in the cabin to sleep off the strains of the day. “But don’t worry, the full moon isn’t for a while, and banshees are mostly harmless now, you’re safe for now,” she promised letting Poppy go. “Don’t forget those pills. Twenty-four hours. And take a shower as soon as you get inside, you need to wash off our scents off you before some supernatural sniffs you.”

“Okay,” Poppy quickly nodded as Rose opened the door to the truck and climbed inside. Poppy slowly stepped away around the truck and stared wide eyed at her friends.

_Werewolf?! Who on earth could it be?! And a banshee? Whatever that was..._

Satin? Chenille? She couldn’t possibly imagine either of them turning into bloodthirsty wolf monsters when the moon rose. Cooper? The guy was a sweetheart, he couldn't possibly be a bloodthirsty creature either. Biggie? Perish the _thought!_ Smidge? … Somehow that made more sense.

Wait, was that what even happened when there was a full moon or was that in the movies only? Gah! She didn’t know!

The truck quickly roared to life and the sound was much louder from outside, making a few of them jump as the headlights turned on but not the off-road lights. The black monster like truck quickly vanished from sight, making a U-turn and driving quickly down the road.

“So was she only here for a day?” her father asked Poppy, approaching her from behind. Poppy hesitated, thinking of an answer. How long _was_ Rose going to be staying, and Thistle too?

“No… She’s staying here for a little bit, I think. Vacation and all,” she said turning around to smile at her dad.

“Vacation, huh?” her father mused.

“Yeah! Anyway, I am _bushed,_ I’ve been—erm, _rock climbing_ all day and all,” Poppy stretched her limbs. In truth she _was_ pretty exhausted, but it was more mental than physical. Her brain just needed a power down, enough to absorb all this information.

The fact that one of her friends could be a _werewolf_ didn’t help matters any… but Poppy hoped the concept was similar to how it was in movies. She would still try to love them as best she could; they _were_ her friends after all.

Now she also had to Google ‘banshee’.

“You look pretty tired,” Peppy patted her back, “Come on inside, it’s getting late.”

“Okay. Bye, guys!” Poppy waved to her friends, “Again, I’m _so_ sorry to freak you all out!”

“It’s fine girl, just _let us know next time? Please?”_ Chenille stressed.

“And call Creek! He’s been worrying about you all day,” Satin chimed in.

“I’ll be sure to,” Poppy assured them.

Her friends waved their goodbyes as Poppy and her father walked into their home. Peppy locked the doors and switched on a light before heading in the direction of the kitchen.

“I know you’re tired, but do you want some hot chocolate? Was just thinking of making myself some,” he said. Poppy thought she could swoon. Her dad’s hot chocolate was the best in the world and no one could tell her otherwise.

“Sure! I’ll have some, I was gonna call Creek anyway,” she said, following him to the kitchen.

She dug her phone out of her pocket and clicked Creek’s phone number, putting it to her ear. The dial tone rang a couple times before it was picked up.

_“Poppy?”_

“Creek! Hey, Creek, just letting you know I’m alive, heh,” Poppy plopped herself on a stool in the kitchen, giggling sheepishly.

_“You seriously had me worried there, beautiful,”_ he grumbled slightly through the line. _“Where were you?”_

“I was rock climbing! That’s why I had no service.”

_“....Rock climbing?”_ he echoed incredulously.

“Oh, but I wasn’t alone, uh—oh you never met Rose, did you? Well an old friend of mine from when I was like in second grade swung by and I was so excited to see her again that I kinda forgot to tell everyone where I was headed, and yeah we were rock climbing and stuff. We had fun!”

He let out a tired chuckle. _“You were safe, right?”_ he asked.

“Perfectly safe, pssh! Rose is like an expert,” she waved her hand casually.

_“I’m glad to hear that,”_ he sighed. _“Better exercise than sugar binging all day,”_ he teased.

“Hey I’ll have you know that I somehow got through today with no sugar _at all,”_  Poppy pointed out. And really she had—unless you counted the buckets of flavored cream she’d poured into her coffee that morning.

A hearty laugh came through the line. _“Sounds like I need to thank this Rose, I’m glad to hear that!”_ he chuckled. _“You did eat though, right?”_

“Yeah! Rose and I cooked stuff together, I had a salad and a steak… It was good! Oh and potato chips but those don’t count as sugar… do they?”

_“I’ll take what I can get,”_ Creek said satisfied. _“Do you want me to come back early?”_ he offered. _“This business out of town can wait.”_

“Mmm…” Poppy rubbed her head, “No, no, I don’t want you to drop everything for me, but that’s really sweet of you. But you handle your business, I’m okay.”

He cleared his throat for a moment. _“You haven’t happened to have seen or heard from Guy today, have you? He’s not answering my texts.”_

“Uh… No, no, I haven’t,” Poppy said.

_“Hmm…”_ he mused, sounding concerned. _“I’ll have to just text him tomorrow then, if you hear from him let me know, please? I have to ask him something.”_

“Got it, Creeky,” Poppy smiled and then suddenly yawned. “Ah, geez, I’m super exhausted from all that rock climbing,” she said sleepily.

_“Go to bed, love,”_ he chuckled softly. _“Did you get that nap in today?”_ he asked.

“Actually yeah, I did!” Poppy said, thinking of the nap she’d taken when she was supposed to be looking after an unconscious Thistle, but Rose hadn’t ended up being very mad. Her attention had been more focused on Thistle, Branch, and Guy at that point. Especially when she had she had gotten back to the cabin to find Thistle in the basement.

_“Good, good. Exercise, a relatively healthy meal, a nap...why don’t you take my advice more often, again?”_ he asked sounding dramatically hurt.

“I’m too spontaneous to keep a consistent dietary schedule,” Poppy giggled. “This was like once in a blue moon kind of thing.”

_“Hmm… we’ll see,”_ he teased.

“Alright, well… how is everything?” she asked, not wanting to be the one to suggest hanging up.

_“Boring,”_ he snorted with a sigh. _“Especially without you around, Sugar.”_

“Mmm,” Poppy blushed. “Same, Creek. Finish work soon so you can come back,” she said sweetly, twirling a strand of hair with her finger.

_“Hehe, I will. Alright, love. Goodnight?”_

“Yeah, goodnight. Love you!”

_“Love you too, beautiful sugar.”_

Poppy’s cheeks grew warm as she hung up the phone and she smiled at her phone screen. Creek didn’t call her sugar enough, which was a shame, she really liked it. Being his sugar, he always said she was more than enough than what he needed in a day. She almost giggle at the little joke.

Her father plopped down a steaming cup of hot chocolate, a sparkle in his eye.

“I purposely put a little less sugar in yours,” he said, winking. “You’re on a diet after all.”

“Awwwwhh, _Daaaad,”_ Poppy moaned. “I haven’t had any sugar all day! I deserve a reward.”

“That sort of defeats the purpose of a diet, you know,” Peppy chuckled, sitting on the stool next to her. He let out a long melancholy like sigh. “Your mom was exactly the same… couldn’t go without her sugar either,” he smiled softly.

Poppy sipped her hot chocolate carefully. It was still good. Still heavenly, even if it was just a _hint_ more bitter than how she would have liked it.

“It’s fine,” she smiled, taking another sip. The warm liquid filled her stomach and warmed her fingertips, calming her down. She gave a long, content sigh, closing her eyes for a moment.

When she reopened them, they were staring blankly through the kitchen window just above the sink, to the dark forest beyond.

Poppy’s thoughts turned to Branch.

She felt so… _sorry_ for him! The guy had been all alone for _twelve. Years!_ And now he was having problems readjusting to society…

_This is kinda like Tarzan,_ Poppy mused. _Only with vampires instead of gorillas._

She snickered at the thought.

“Well, I’ll say it’s been quite an eventful last couple days,” Peppy chuckled. Poppy could only nod. It _had_ been some very eventful couple days. “Are you sure you’ll be okay when I go out of town tomorrow?”

“I’ll be fine, Dad!” Poppy assured him, smiling sincerely. “Promise.”


	13. Two Worlds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the chapter that changed everything.

* * *

 

 

 

Thistle was alone, reeling.

He had too many things to occupy his mind. But right now, at least he had something troubling rather than depressing to think about, like his brother bolting. He honestly didn’t blame him but he wasn’t going to lie that it bothered him.

He stared at the silver cased uPhone connected to his laptop concerned.

Rose had taken Poppy home and they had promised not to hurt Guy. But could they honestly keep that promise? He grimaced, remembering his brother had also mentioned Guy trying to help him.

Now there was this very disturbing information in the phone, mostly just communication. Nothing that said much about their movements. But Thistle could tell which ones were the vampires based on the dialogue.

Like this one issue, Creek, who Guy obviously spoke to like a higher authority in their texts.

_Creek…_

Poppy’s boyfriend.

It was no brain teaser, he needed no help putting two and together. This was probably the vampire feeding on Poppy and Guy served him.

It could only be a Pureblood, Patricians didn’t treat each other in such a way.

Thistle wasn’t sure what to make of it. Especially since Guy didn’t even seem to be trying to be discreet with his phone, in a way a Hunter like himself might decipher it.

The photos… There were a lot of photos of him with Poppy, smiling. More with the rest of the friends Poppy kept. Was this vampire that damn honest or was it a trick? To make his phone look unsuspicious?

No… the texts were easily incriminating.

Thistle picked up the wallet, opening it, a small black stone dangled from a pocket and it immediately caught his attention. He squinted at it and it’s glittery surface on a worn leather string.

Why… did it look _familiar?_

It was nonsense, he snorted and looked through the other contents. Finding nothing incriminating, stopping at the driver’s license.

Argyle D. Diamond...

Guy Diamond…

He put the license back in and picked up the phone, disconnecting it from his laptop now that the software was done lacing the phone with new programing.

He looked towards the steel door, his eyes narrowing. He straightened his black shirt for a moment and put his hands landed on his tactical belt. The gun loaded, the knife present, everything was there.

Thistle sighed, heading for the door and opening it with the pin. He was down the stairs more calmly this time, putting the items in his pockets with his hands.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs his hard blue eyes looked into the room, directly into the cage and the chained figure there.

Guy was snoring softly, curled up in an uncomfortable looking ball in the back corner of the cage. A bag of blood was near the front of the cage, untouched.

Thistle trudged forward, his steps silent and he paused by the door, staring at the bag and then at the vampire curiously.

Surely he was hungry? A spinal injury where the nerves had been cut and bone shattered required plenty of energy to heal, even for a high class vampire.

Thistle punched in the code, the sound of the beeping on the pad and the beeping echoing out and disturbing the silence. The metal bars rolled, the gears grinding before the locked snapped back loudly.

Guy snorted awake, looking up blearily and confused. His eyes fell on Thistle and he immediately sat up, wide awake as he scooted back into the corner.

The door slid open and the heavy footfall of boots echoed into the cage. The door slamming behind Thistle but not locking.

He stared at Guy for a moment, thoughtful.

Then he glanced at the blood bag then back, not blinking once.

“Either you’re resilient or you’re starving yourself intentionally.”

Guy blinked, glancing at the blood bag and his brow pinched underneath the muzzle still chained to his face.

“Neither,” he muttered. “Well, I mean, I like to think I’m resilient, but…”

“But?”

Guy glanced at Thistle carefully, his fingers twitching where they were cuffed and chained to his sides.

“...It’s a little… hard… for me to drink…. With chained hands,” he muttered quietly.

“Do you think I’m honestly stupid enough to think you couldn’t have broken out of those hours ago even weakened?”

“...I was asleep,” Guy muttered.

“Before you fell asleep?”

Guy grimaced, glaring at Thistle.

“If I told you the real reason, you wouldn’t believe me, so yeah, let’s just go with I’m starving myself,” he snapped.

Thistle’s expression grew curious, softening slightly and he shrugged.

“Try me.”

Guy stared at him incredulously, blinking in surprise. He definitely hadn't expected him to say that.

“...Uh…” he mumbled. “Well… fine, but you still probably won’t believe me,” he took a deep breath. Honestly, what was the point in not telling him? He was going to die anyway, there wasn’t anything else left to lose. The only thing he had to gain was more ridicule or disbelief, both of which he could easily deal with.

Guy finally let out the useless breath. “I’m fucking… I’m… I’m _hemophobic_. Okay? Can’t stand… the sight of…” he trailed off, looking away into the corner pointedly.

Thistle stared, blinking surprised. He said nothing for a moment, thinking about this. What was it with this vampire…? He… believed him…?

He took the last few steps forward, crouching down a couple feet from Guy and looking thoughtfully at his face. Guy blinked and stared back, uncertain how to react.

Thistle spoke surprisingly softly, sympathetic.

“Trauma?” he guessed quietly.

Guy stared.

“You… wait, you _believe_ me?” he hissed, hardly daring to believe his own ears. “I have a hard time as it is convincing my own _species_ I have fucking hemophobia!”

Thistle grimaced, shrugging. “I’ll admit, it’s very odd for a vampire, there is nothing more your kind craves. But that’s like saying humans can’t be afraid to eat after trauma. It can happen and we can starve ourselves.”

“...Yeah. Odd, freak, that’s me,” Guy said dully. He sucked in a deep useless breath and let it out slowly. “...Yeah… when I was a kid, I… had a friend,” he muttered quietly, looking away. “A human friend.”

Wait, why the hell was he telling the fucking Vampire Without Fangs this?! Was he _crazy?!_

Thistle stared intently, frowning. He could easily guess the rest.

“You both didn’t know vampire children can’t control their impulses, especially when they are starving…”

“...Yeah… you could say that,” Guy said cautiously.

“Not that starving adults are much different,” Thistle snorted. “I learned that one the hard way.”

Guy raised an eyebrow uncertainly at him.

Thistle stared, wondering why he was opening his mouth as he stared into the deep dark blue eyes. Something odd compelling him, a sense of… understanding?

“I was a kid, and my mother was close to Esurient,” he explained, tapping his wrist and the words were very quiet, but the guilt and pain was just below the surface, restrained. “My brother almost died because of me. And because of me my father shot her in the head.”

Guy stared, horrified and sympathetic. But then he grew confused.

“Uh… no offense, Mr. Oak, but … why are you telling me this?” he questioned. “I was under the impression you wanted to kill me.”

“I’m wondering that too,” he admitted. “But I promised Poppy I wouldn’t hurt you until I knew for certain if you could be trusted or not. I’m still deciding.”

“So basically what you’re saying is I should keep up that stand up comedy thing until you agree to let me live?” Guy tried to joke.

Thistle blinked, surprised the serious conversation was abruptly broken. He ducked his head, snorting behind his hand and trying to suppress a smirk at the absolute absurdity that had blindsided him.

Guy found himself cracking a small smile at his reaction, hardly daring to believe he’d actually gotten him to _laugh_. Maybe he had a chance of surviving after all.

Thistle coughed loudly, trying to clear his voice as he looked back up with a composed face again. He reached forward towards the muzzle, then paused, staring hard.

“If you try anything and bite me, I’ll break your neck,” he warned.

“Duly noted,” Guy muttered. “I know of some families who talk about you like you’re the boogey man. I’m not making any moves,” he promised.

Thistle grunted, reaching forward and snapping the clasps open, freeing Guy’s face and taking the muzzle away. It fell on the floor by his side with an echoing clatter.

He stared at Guy’s face, noticing the remnants of smeared glittery make-up and he raised an eyebrow.

“I’m guessing you have a thing for Twilight? Or you just like glitter.”

Guy stared, his cheeks growing crimson.

“Uh… well, I liked glitter before I liked Twilight,” he mumbled, embarrassed.

Thistle grunted, making no comment.

“So, are you the one feeding off Poppy?” he suddenly asked.

“No,” Guy shook his head. “I’m not. Usually I… Usually I feed off of Satin, but I don’t do it often because I don’t want her to develop an iron deficiency like her sister.”

Thistle blinked, honestly shocked Guy had shared that much information willingly. What was with him…?

Guy was honestly wondering the exact same thing.

“So you do feed,” he grunted. “One human isn’t enough for one vampire on the weekly bases though,” he said with a note of suspicion.

“I… I leave town once a week…” Guy mumbled. “Usually to the city closest down south.”

Thistle’s face pinched. “Poppy was right, you’re a shit liar.”

Guy sighed, glancing up at him.

“Well it’s not like I can tell you the truth,” he said in a monotone voice.

“Silenced?” he guessed again.

“I’m not inclined to confirm that,” Guy shrugged.

Hmm… That fairly did it for Thistle.

“Did your master silence you? Creek?” he asked slowly.

Guy paused, his eyes shooting wide open as he stared at Thistle, shocked. His mouth opened, and closed and he choked on words but he clamped his mouth shut again, unable to speak.

 _How the fuck…?_ Guy wondered. How much did this guy _know?_ And _how???_

Thistle tapped his wrist.

“Well, that basically confirmed it,” he sighed drearily. “A Pureblood, hm?”

 _Fuck!!_ Guy gritted his teeth. He looked away, refusing to give him an answer.

“You’re not convincing me to trust you,” Thistle mentioned matter-of-fact.

Guy swallowed, his body starting to tremble.

“...I’m not… inclined… to confirm,” he choked out.

Guy was now certain that Creek was going to kill him if Thistle didn’t. He was dead either way.

Thistle watched him carefully, the cogs in his head turning. He was making Guy exceedingly uncomfortable, he could tell. He didn't need to be on the pill to smell his fear.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, changing the subject abruptly.

Guy paused, glancing at him.

“You want the blood bag or not?” he said pointing to it on the floor.

“...I… uh…” Guy choked and shook his head. “I can’t drink from it properly like this.”

Thistle groaned, reaching forward and yanking out a key. It snapped into the locks and the chains started to fall lose.

“Well, I suppose I should say thanks you didn’t break our equipment,” he muttered.

Guy stared down at the loose chains before cautiously looking up at Thistle.

He met eyes staring equally wary back at him.

“So are you going to get it or not?” he jerked his head towards the bag.

Guy slowly scooted towards the bag, keeping an eye on Thistle in the corner of his vision, before grasping the small plastic thing. He glanced down at it, feeling his chest tighten a bit when he saw the red liquid stored inside.

“...Uhm… how do I…” he fumbled with it a bit, trying to figure out how to open it without spilling it all over himself.

“Just rip it open,” Thistle said raising an eyebrow. “Or bite it.”

Guy huffed, glancing away painfully before screwing his eyes shut and bringing the blood bag to his lips.

Thistle watched… Guy was actually… _shaking?_

Pity. Thistle felt pity and sympathy.

Guy’s fangs slowly sank into the bag but some immediately spurted out and dribbled past his lips onto his fingers.

Guy immediately reacted and flung the bag to the other side of the cage in panic, feeling the sticky liquid on his skin as he screwed his eyes shut, doing his best to not look.

Thistle winced, watching. That was no fucking act. He hadn’t missed Guy’s earlier cringing either.

Thistle silently yanked his shirt off, dropping it over Guy’s hands and cautiously took his wrists and rubbed the cloth over his fingers with one hand.

“Why the fuck are you helping me?” Guy blurted out, unable to help himself when he felt the cloth on his hands, but still not daring to open his eyes.

“I’m not heartless you know, despite what you’ve heard,” he muttered, cleaning his hands off.

Thistle had to admit this was strange, disturbingly crossing unseen lines he knew he shouldn’t be near. But it was too damn late, he had already crossed them for Branch. He already knew what side he stood on, and it was the grey one of a black and white conflict where he stood virtually alone.

He silently rubbed Guy’s hands free of blood then pulled away, crumpling the shirt in his hands and shoving it in the back pocket of his jeans. His scarred muscular chest left bare.

“Alright, it’s gone.”

Guy slowly opened his eyes but reeled when he saw the bloody mess in the corner and he quickly closed his eyes again, gritting his teeth.

“You probably think I’m the lamest vampire in the universe,” Guy murmured painfully into his knees.

Thistle glanced at the corner and then back at Guy.

He stood up, marching over and glanced back one more time. He was fairly confident Guy wouldn’t try anything.

Kneeling down he took out the shirt again and picked up the bag, wiping the mess and grimacing with the smell. His stomach churning, some remnant inside him finding it appealing…

Thistle held in a sigh, cleaning up the mess easily from the tiles designed to repel liquid, especially blood.

Thistle stood up, turning towards the glass door, staring down at Guy who still had his head buried in his arms and knees.

“No,” he said delayed.

Guy froze at that word, feeling utterly perplexed again.

“...You’re weirder than I thought,” he finally mumbled.

“Look who’s talking,” he snorted.

“Oh, I know _I’m_ weird, I’m a fucking freak, but I didn’t expect the Vampire Without Fangs to be… more weird.”

He grunted. “I didn’t get famous because I was normal. And I was called the fangless vampire because I’m more of a vampire than a human at times,” he muttered, before striding for the glass door.

It slammed behind him and he dumped the shirt and bag inside a trash can before he turned back around.

He entered the cage again.

Guy had lifted his head to look at him curiously, still perplexed.

Thistle stopped a few feet away away him. He must be stupid or gullible, he wasn’t sure which at the moment as he looked down at the unchained vampire.

He groaned to himself, he couldn't believe he was going to do this shit _twice_ in one day. Rose was going to kill him.

He extended out his arm, his fist balled up.

Guy stared at the wrist.

“Okay, I take it back, you’re not weird, you’re insane. Your brother nearly drained you just a few hours ago,” Guy shot at him.

“No he didn’t and I had a transfusion. I’m fine, and besides, you don’t need a lot,” Thistle said sure of himself.

Guy stared bewildered at him. Was this really _happening?!_

But the sound of a heartbeat was making his throat burn and he grimaced, figuring he might as well get it over with if it was being willingly offered to him. He leaned forward carefully, extending his fangs and he slowly slid his tongue over the wrist, tasting the salt of the skin.

His fangs slowly sank in and he immediately closed his eyes, not letting a drop of blood spill or leak out.

Thistle grunted. Well, at least this one knew to fucking lick first. He grimaced, watching, wondering what was going through his mind indeed. He was calculating every movement, every reaction thoughtfully. So far Guy had several opportunities to run or attack him...

In a few gulps, the fire had been smothered and Guy washed his tongue over the wrist one last time, collecting any remaining blood and slowly drew back.

Internally he was surprised by the potency of the blood, for a human, indeed it was almost akin to that of a vampire’s blood. And it tasted…

Thistle watched, pulling his arm back.

“Better?”

“...yes…” Guy said quietly. “Thank you.”

Thistle raised an eyebrow, surprised by the thanks.

“You’re welcome,” he grunted, taking a step back. “Get some rest. I’ll bring you a sleeping bag.”

“...Thanks,” Guy said again.

“Also,” he said, pausing by the glass door, glancing back at Guy. “These walls are made of synthetic diamond, I wouldn’t try punching through them.”

“Noted,” Guy nodded. He paused, opening his mouth, but then closed it again. He looked at his hands with a dull expression.

Thistle slipped out of the cage and the steel bars locked. He picked up the trash can and quickly vanished up the stairs.

Guy was frowning, swishing the last of Thistle’s blood in his mouth and quickly swallowing it.

There was something about his blood he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Something… _familiar_ about it? But that was impossible, how the hell could it be familiar?

Thistle returned with a rolled up cushion, opening the cage again and stepping in but only a few paces. He set down the roll on the floor.

“What are your plans for Poppy?” Guy asked carefully, looking up at Thistle. “How do you plan on… keeping her safe?”

Thistle paused, looking up at him and his eyes narrowed at his word choice.

“What makes you think we have plans for her?”

Guy looked at him carefully before looking back down with a grimace.

“It’s reasonable to assume you would try to protect her,” he said quietly.

“We are, it’s our job. We’ll be facing Creek.”

Guy scoffed at that.

 _Good luck trying to face him_ , he thought.

“You make it sound like I haven’t killed three Purebloods in the span of five years.”

Guy looked up at Thistle carefully with a grimace.

Thistle showed no arrogance, no smugness, just serious dead-eyed determination.

 _With all due respect, you haven’t faced a Dracul,_ he wanted to say, but his mouth stayed still.

“Get some sleep,” Thistle said gruffly, pulling something out of his pocket. He tossed it towards Guy with a flick of his wrist. Guy caught it out of reflex, glancing in surprise at his wallet.

“...Thanks,” he murmured with a grateful smile, immediately digging into it to pull out his lucky charm. He ran it between his thumb and forefinger carefully, letting the leather string dangle.

Thistle watched him for one more moment, noticing… how _human_ Guy was…

Grimacing, he shut the door and the locks rotated and snapped into place. He walked away, vanishing once again up the stairs and leaving Guy alone in a dim lit room.

 

* * *

 

 _“Who’re you?”_ called a little brown skinned boy with blue eyes. He looked down from the perch on the tree branch he was crouching on, looking curiously at a small boy not far below.

The other boy looked up, a long stick in his hands. As his head leaned back, messy black hair ruffled back and blue eyes shone up sharply, watching.

 _“Who are you?”_ he demanded back, standing in place.

_“I asked you first!”_

The boy grimaced, squinting and staring curiously. _“Yeah, but you’re the one sneaking around in the tree.”_

 _“I’m not sneaking around. I’m pretending to be a peacock!”_ the first boy said defensively.

 _“Really?”_ the second boy’s eyes widened, and he grinned broadly showing a small gap between his front teeth. _“I’m pretending to be a hunter.”_

“ _Squawk! Oh no the hunter’s gonna get me_!” the boy launched from the branch, flapping his arms wildly and landed on his bare feet, giggling as he tottered away.

The boy with the black hair hung back by the roots of the tree, looking confused for a moment by the sudden change in behavior and frowning seriously.

The first boy stopped, turning around.

“ _Aren’t you gonna chase me?_ ” he asked. “ _Or do you not hunt peacocks?_ ”

The other boy stared before he laughed, doubling over and shaking his head for a moment as he said the next words in a rush. _“I don’t think my dad hunts peacocks.”_

“ _What does he hunt then?_ ” the first boy was confused.

The other boy stopped laughing and stood up straight, frowning with a lot of seriousness that looked strange on his face. Like he was trying to be more mature than he was.

_“He hunts monsters.”_

_“Oh…”_ The other boy’s eyes widened. He took a step back, rather fearfully.

The black haired boy fiddled with the stick in his hands and looked down at the ground.

_“The other kids don’t believe me when I say that. They say I’m crazy.”_

_“I believe you!”_ The first boy fiddled with his shirt.

The second boy looked up, shocked. _“You do?”_

 _“Yeah… I know monsters exist and stuff like that. I’m a vampire, see,”_ the brown-skinned boy grinned, showing his fangs.

The other boy froze, this time he took a step back, his blue eyes going wide. His hands shook and the stick snapped in his hands as he gulped. The sound of his heart picked up pace and strange sour smell took the air around him. Fear.

“ _I—I’m not gonna hurt you,_ ” the boy said quickly. “ _My name is Guy! I just wanna play!”_

The other child froze, staring at him confused, tilting his head as if contemplating. He was silent for a moment, staring thoughtfully and unsure. As their eyes met and stayed locked the reluctant child gradually relaxed, his mind seemed to be made up on something as he smiled slowly.

 _“That’s a cool name. My name is… pretty weird,”_ he admitted embarrassed.

“ _I bet it’s not! What is it?”_

The other kid grimaced, chewing his lip before sighing in defeat. _“Theodore,”_ he muttered.

“ _Cool! Can I call you Theo?”_ Guy grinned widely, tottering forward.

 _“Theo?”_ he echoed back, raising his eyebrows.

“ _Yeah, for short!_ ”

The kid stared while looking thoughtful and wide-eyed before a large grin crossed his face. _“I like it! Sounds cool. Cooler than Theodore,”_ he laughed, nodding vigorously.

“ _Cool! Hey, wanna play?_ ” Guy asked eagerly. “ _If you want, you can be the hunter, and I can be the vampire, and you can chase me around and stuff!_ ”

Theo laughed, snorting and dropping his broken stick. _“But vampires bite,”_ he protested. _“A hunter can’t get bitten by a vampire.”_

 _“I won’t bite you,”_ Guy promised, holding out his pinkie. _“Pinkie promise._ ”

He seemed to think about this for a moment before he grinned again and nodded, stepping forward and holding up his pinkie back.

 _“Pinkie promise,”_ Theo said back as their pinkies curled around each other. _“Can you help me find a new stick first?”_

“ _Yeah, one sec!_ ” Guy was suddenly gone, having disappeared without a trace. A few moments later he reappeared in front of Theo, holding out a large thick stick. “ _Here you go!_ ”

Theo was staring, gaping and looking him over shocked. He didn’t reach for the stick

_“Wow! I heard vampires were fast but I didn’t think **that** fast!”_

_“Daddy actually told me I’m super fast for a vampire,”_ Guy said proudly. _“He says I’m gonna get even faster when I grow up!”_

Theo grinned wider. _“I wonder how fast I’ll be when I grow up? I hope I can be that fast!”_

 _“Nawh, you’re a human! Humans can’t be as fast as a vampire!”_ Guy drawled as if it were obvious.

Theo pouted and puffed his cheeks, taking the stick. _“That’s not true if you're a Hunter! My dad said I’m going to be a real Hunter some day, like him.”_

“ _Oh…_ ” Guy looked crestfallen. “ _But Hunters and vampires can’t be friends…_ ”

 _“Why not?”_ Theo asked confused.

“ _‘Cause they hunt us and kill us!_ ”

 _“I won’t hunt you then,”_ Theo suddenly said adamantly, throwing the stick down and crossing his arms stubbornly. _“Then we can still be friends!”_ he smiled widely, as if the solution was that simple.

Guy’s expression lifted immensely and he beamed up at Theo.

“ _Wow! Yeah! We can be best friends! How old are you?_ ” he asked, curious.

 _“I’m six,”_ he simpered widely. _“But I’m turning seven in November,”_ he stated as if that wasn’t over half a year away.

“ _I’m five! I’m gonna be six in… in…_ ” Guy counted on his fingers. “ _Four days!”_

 _“Wow! Really?”_ Theo grinned. _“That’s cool! We’ll be the same age!”_

 _“Yeah!”_ Guy hopped around excitedly. “ _Hey, you wanna play, uh. Uh, have you seen Treasure Planet? Wanna play Treasure Planet? I’ll be Jim Hawkins and look for treasure!_ ”

 _“Sure!”_ Theo laughed. _“I’ll be uh….um…”_ he paused, his face scrunching up as he thought about it, tapping his chin.

“ _You can be Long John Silver with the cyborg arm!_ ” Guy crowed.

 _“A pirate!”_ Theo cried, suddenly excited. _“Yeah!”_ He bent over and picked up his stick again before he ended up squinting one of his eyes closed. “ _Let’s go get that treasure! Argh!_ ”

“ _YAARRGH!”_ Guy cried, running off.

Days flew by for the two boys, who promised to meet up every day in the late afternoon if they could. It was their secret, a secret from both their families. It was exciting for the both of them to have a friendship such as this, and the two grew closer with each passing day.

On the fifth day, Guy entered the small little clearing in the woods they had dubbed their ‘cove’, and where the beginnings of a fort made of sticks was being built between two trees. He was moving with less energy than normal, and his feet shuffled in the ground.

 _“Hey, Guy! Up here!”_ called a grinning voice from high above.

Guy flinched and looked up with wide eyes, which turned to confusion.

“ _Whad’re you doin’ up there?_ ” he asked his friend.

 _“Proving you, I can climb a tree just as good!”_ he laughed, standing up on a limb confidently with one hand on the trunk.

Guy grinned a little before his smile faded and he looked at the ground.

“ _...I got in trouble last night…_ ” he said in a low voice.

Theo paused, frowning and slowly he lowered himself till he was sitting down. _“Why? What happened?”_ he asked worried.

“ _I hit my sister ‘cause she was saying mean things about humans,_ ” Guy said mournfully. _“Daddy didn’t let me eat today even though it’s my birthday…_ ”

Theo grimaced, looking worried. “ _Girls suck_ ,” he muttered in sympathy. “ _I’m sorry, I was sure I wouldn’t see you today…but um… uh…_ ” He shuffled with his pockets and pulled out a little blue box with a white ribbon, smiling down at Guy as he offered it. “ _I got you something, though!_ ”

Guy’s face brightened up with seemingly a thousand Christmas lights.

 _“CAN I SEE? CAN I SEE?”_ he crowed eagerly.

 _“Well it’s yours!”_ Theo laughed and shuffled across the branch then was frowning, tapping the present between his fingers and looking nervous.

 _“What’s wrong? You smell scared again,_ ” Guy frowned.

 _“Um…”_ he gulped and then sighed. _“I’m stuck…”_ he admitted, his head dropping.

Guy froze for a moment before doubling over in laughter, clutching his stomach.

 _“I **told** you humans can’t climb like us vampires!” _ Guy laughed, reaching up his hands. _“I’ll catch you!_ ”

Theo’s face turned red and he glared. _“I got up here just fine!”_ he snapped. _“I just haven't figured out the down part yet…”_ he muttered, scowling and looking away with red cheeks.

“ _There’s a branch below you, jump down on that!_ ” Guy said, pointing.

Theo shoved the present back in his pocket and glared at the branch below him in concentration. He swung his legs back and forth and after a long minute of hesitation he slipped off and landed on the branch below, almost perfectly like an athlete with arms out for balance.

He grinned in triumph and took a step forward, the branch swaying under his weight and he yelped as he suddenly lost his balance and toppled off.

“ _AAH, I GOT YOU!_ ” Guy yelped, racing forward so he was underneath his friend, his arms outstretched.

The slightly larger boy fell straight into Guy’s face and sent them both falling and tumbling in the dirt, scattering grass around them as they rolled.

They finally stopped in a little patch of sunlight between the tree leaves. The human heartbeat thundering in Guy’s ears along with Theo’s scent of fear as he panted where they laid in the grass and dirt.

 _“...Ow,”_ Guy finally winced.

 _“Guy! Are you okay!? Did you hit something?”_ Theo asked urgently, sitting up straight and touching his friend’s arm and looking him over.

“ _No, you’re just super heavy,_ ” Guy snorted.

Theo stared for a moment before doubling over laughing, falling back into the grass as his worrying was for naught.

Guy sat up, groaning, clutching his stomach, but he was also grinning at Theo while trying not to wince under the direct sunlight.

 _“Can I see my present now?”_ Guy asked hopefully.

Theo rolled over onto his feet back into the shade, snickering to himself as he stood up and waved him over.

 _“Come on over here, doesn’t the light hurt?”_ he snorted taking steps back further into the shadows.

“ _Yeah,_ ” Guy quickly stood up and walked over to the shade. “ _Did—did you know sunlight doesn’t actually hurt our skin or anything like in movies, it just hurts our eyes?_ ” Guy said.

“ _Yeah, I know,_ ” Theo stopped laughing, rummaging through his pockets. “ _I’ve been watching you and I read some of my mom and dad’s books when they aren’t looking._ ” He finally procured the gift out of his pocket, grinning as he passed it to Guy. “ _Here._ ”

Guy’s eyes widened and he looked at the gift with eagerness as he took it in his small hands.

“ _Thanks!”_ he said, tearing into the little box, impatient to see what was inside.

“ _I hope you like it,_ ” Theo said worriedly, frowning. “ _You said you like shiny stuff so I made this out of my rock collection_.”

Guy gasped. In his hand was a small little deep blue stone, covered in glittering stars deep in its dark surface and smoothed to a silky finish on the end of a silvery chain.

“ _This… This is so **awesome**! Is it a good luck charm?_ ” Guy asked eagerly, putting it around his neck.

 _“It is!_ ” Theo grinned, looking happy his friend liked his gift. “ _I love space so this is one my favorite rocks because it looks like it has stars in it and you like glittery things so I thought it was perfect!_ ”

“ _Thanks! It’s awesome!!”_ Guy laughed, holding up the shiny little rock, hopping around in a circle.

_“Hey, Guy, vampires like chocolate, right?”_

_“Yeah, why?”_

_“There’s chocolate cake in my grandma’s fridge, I can go get you a piece if you’re hungry,”_ he grinned.

Guy contemplated this for a moment before he shook his head with a frown.

“ _I… I don’t wanna go to your house,_ ” he mumbled. “ _I’m scared of big Hunters._ ”

“ _My grandma isn’t a Hunter_ ,” Theo corrected then paused. _“Well not anymore,”_ he shrugged his shoulder. _“But no, I can bring it here, you don’t have to go near my grandma’s house. I can sneak in while she’s taking care of my baby brother,”_ he said with a nod.

“ _...Okay,_ ” Guy said more eagerly, grinning.

 _“I’ll be back then!_ ” Theo grinned before he turned around and ran off.

Guy sat down in the makeshift, unfinished little fort and started to inspect the little stone hanging around his neck, grinning wide. It sparkled even in the weak light in the shade.

That horrible fire in his throat was becoming painful and it was worse with Theo around, but Guy told himself he could control it. He wouldn’t hurt his best friend! He couldn’t!

He was adamant about it as he nodded to himself.

The wind picked up and he could smell Theo’s scent coming back towards him, the fire sparking in his throat and he was already looking up when his friend walked back into the cove with a plate with napkins over it, looking around.

As Theo’s blue eyes caught sight of Guy, he grinned widely and rushed over.

“ _Look what I found!”_ he laughed as he put the plate down and pulled off the napkins.

“ _What?”_ Guy asked eagerly.

Atop a large slice of chocolate cake with the frosting a little messed up was a partially melted candle in the shape of a six and a fork next to it.

“ _I found the candle grandma used for my birthday cake! I mean it’s a little melted but it’s still a six,_ ” he grinned but then his smile faltered and he puffed out his cheeks annoyed. _“I couldn’t find the lighter though. Grandma hides it.”_

“ _It’s okay! I’ll just pretend to blow out the candle!”_ Guy grinned.

Theo instantly perked up and he was grinning again. _“Awesome! Make a wish then!_ ”

Guy closed his eyes and thought of a wish, puffing out his cheeks. A moment later he blew on the candle hard, his eyes going cross eyed with his efforts. Theo held back a snicker behind a hand.

 _“Chocolate!”_ Guy yelled eagerly, grabbing for the cake. _“You take that half, I’ll take this half!”_

 _“Naw, you can have it all, it’s your birthday,”_ Theo laughed. _“I ate some this morning and if I eat too much Grandma says I’ll have to go to the dentist again,”_ he muttered and shuddered, grimacing at the idea.

“ _...Okay!”_ Guy said eagerly, stuffing a bunch of the chocolate cake into his mouth at once. _“Ush vampirsh don’ need tah go to dah dentisht!”_ he said matter-of-factly, his cheeks stuffed.

 _“Lucky!”_ Theo barked, laughing, barely understanding what Guy said.

 _“Our teef magic!”_ Guy giggled, swallowing with some difficulty.

 _“I know,”_ Theo snorted. _“Like your spit, right?”_

Guy was already licking the plate clean and wiped his messy mouth on the back of his hand.

 _“Yep!”_ he said brightly. Theo grinned, looking proud he got a fact right. His smile faltered however and he sighed.

_“Um… Guy.”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“I’m leaving tomorrow. My parents are picking us up.”_

_“What?!”_ Guy was crestfallen, beseechingly looking at his friend.

 _“Yeah,”_ he nodded.

_“But… you’re my best friend. I don’t want you to leave!”_

_“I’ll be back!”_ Theo protested quickly, getting a little frantic. “ _My mom and dad leave us with grandma all the time because of work. I’ll probably be back in a couple of weeks,”_ he promised, quickly, trying to be reassuring.

 _“Oh.”_ Guy thought about that for a moment before nodding. _“Okay. What if—what if I ran all the way to your house to visit you?”_ he grinned at Theo. _“I could do it, I’m fast enough!”_

Theo grimaced. _“I don’t know, we live pretty far away. It’s like...takes forever to drive up here! Like from breakfast to lunch time,”_ he groaned, falling back into the grass and staring up.

 _“Wow, that’s like… **forever!**_ **”** Guy cried.

 _“It is! I fall asleep in the car every time!”_ Theo cried out, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation before they fell with a plop on the grass.

 _“...But at least you’ll come back to visit,”_ Guy smiled.

Theo sat upright quickly, smirking. _“Yeah, I will, promise. We usually come back on Fridays.”_

“ _Okay!_ ” Guy grinned. He stood up, dusting off his pants. _“Wanna play before I gotta go back?_ ”

 _“Yeah, sure!”_ Theo said excitedly but paused, looking at the plate then back at Guy. _“Are you okay now? Are you still hungry?”_

 _“I’m still hungry but I’m okay,”_ Guy grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

 Theo looked at him seriously for a long while, his blue eyes boring into him.

 _“You need blood, don’t you?”_ he suddenly asked.

 _“...Uh, yeah,”_ Guy said. _“Whenever I’m thirsty my throat feels hot and kind of burning, but when I have blood it goes away._ ”

 _“That must feel bad,”_ Theo frowned, concerned. _“Does it hurt?”_

“ _No, only if I don’t drink for a couple days,_ ” Guy shrugged. “ _My—my daddy, he can go without blood for a week! He says—he says adults don’t need to drink as often._ ”

 _“Huh,”_ Theo echoed curiously, fascinated. “ _So your throat doesn’t hurt right now?_ ” he asked, standing up. Ironically, a fresh breeze blew through the clearing, ruffling around them.

“ _It’s… it kinda hurts,_ ” Guy admitted, putting a hand to his throat. He stiffened when the breeze hit his nose, wafting Theo’s scent towards him.

Theo frowned even more, looking worried and glanced away looking troubled. He looked back, chewing his lip. “ _You want my blood?_ ” he offered quietly. _“I can’t just leave you all hungry. You just gotta promise not to leave any bite marks ‘cause if my dad knows…”_ he stopped short, shuddering.

 _“I—n-no, no, I don’t wanna drink your blood,”_ Guy quickly shook his head, immediately stepping back. _“I drink a lot. I don’t wanna drink you dry.”_

 _“Dry?”_ Theo asked confused by the concept. _“How much do you drink?”_

Guy’s eyes suddenly flashed red as he looked at Theo.

 _“...A lot…”_ he mumbled, now looking at him rather hungrily.

Theo looked into his red eyes bravely, frowning determined and alert. _“More than I got? I mean… you don’t have to drink a lot, right? You can drink more later at home?”_

Guy was trembling, his eyes wide.

Theo sighed as he saw the frightened look and gave up. _“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I just wanted to help since you're my best frie—”_

Guy suddenly lunged, losing all sense of control and his fangs unsheathed and he tackled Theo to the ground, burying his fangs into his neck with one swift bite.

Theo screamed and with a sudden shock of fear he was shaking, but he froze. His fingers ripping through the dirt as tears stung past his eyes with the sudden pain and he gritted his teeth, his heart hammering.

Guy sucked large, deep gulps of blood, gripping his friend’s shoulders as he crouched on top of him. His eyes flared a terrible bloodthirsty red as they closed.

Theo stopped shaking soon, letting out a lightheaded pant as the venom quickly took effect in his small body. His blue eyes going hazy as his muscle went limp and his fingers went lax among the shredded grass and upturned earth.

It wasn’t long though that his heart was quickly slowing and lethargy quickly crept over him. His voice croaked out weakly.

 _“G—Guy? I feel **really** dizzy and sleepy,”_ he complained quietly, his eyelids drooping.

Guy couldn’t stop, however, barely even hearing his friend. The urge to feed was overwhelming for the small child and he barely had enough willpower to open his eyes.

Theo groaned quietly some moments later, his body growing progressively colder. His eyes shutting with a soft wheezy breath as his body went limp and his head lolled to the side.

Guy’s eyes flashed open, realization of what he was doing hitting him like a truck as the fire weakened and he immediately tore his mouth away from his friend’s neck. He sat there, panting for a moment before he looked down at his friend.

 _“Th...Theo?”_ he croaked.

No answer.

 _“Theo?!”_ Guy grabbed his friend’s shoulder and shook it hard, panic gripping him. Blood was pooling around Theo’s neck, glaring crimson in the weak light and covering Guy’s mouth and shirt.

_Blood._

_Red._

Guy gasped and quickly licked the wound to close it, before sitting back up and shaking Theo’s shoulder again. _“THEO!!”_ he cried. _“Theo, WAKE UP!”_

Theo remained unresponsive. Guy’s chest tightened and he started wheezing in panic, tears blooming in his eyes and he could hear nothing but his own frantic screaming and saw nothing but the puddle of red under Theo’s neck. “ _No...No, no, Theo! THEEEOOOO!”_ he screamed.

A hard hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and yanked him up and off the other boy. Guy yelped in fear and surprise, whipping his head up.

 _“I told you they were only food,”_ snarled a soft menacing voice as he met his father’s cold blue eyes.

“ _I DIDN’T MEAN IT!”_ Guy bawled, feeling his knees buckle. _“I DIDN’T MEAN IT!_ ”

 _“It’s doesn’t matter. He knew you were a vampire and he was your prey. I told you, humans cannot be your friends, they are only food. Now let’s go,”_ his father said sternly, grabbing Guy’s wrist and pulling him up to his feet.

“ _THEO!”_ Guy bawled, reaching a hand out for his friend but was yanked away by his father. “ _HELP HIM! SAVE HIM, DADDY!_ ” Guy cried.

Blazing red eyes met his, a harsh voice falling on his ear.

_“No. This is a lesson you need to learn and it is too late for him.”_

_Too late?_ Guy turned back to his friend, his hand still pointing in his direction and trying to reach his fallen friend.

Blood was covering his hands.

_Blood._

Theo’s blood.

_Red._

His life source...

Guy had _ended Theo’s life._

_...he had killed his best friend._

“ _No,_ ” Guy sobbed, screaming in denial as fear greater than he had ever felt before took hold deep in his heart, rooting itself in place with cold perpetual claws. _“No, no, NO, NO, **NO!”**_


	14. Breaking Barriers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did we say Friday? Sorry about that, Monday, Friday... who keeps track of the days anymore?

* * *

 

Guy’s eyes opened as he let out a strangled yell, bolting upright as he felt that familiar choking, smothering sensation of a panic attack strangle his body. He wheezed useless gulps of air, clutching his stomach. His eyes immediately fell to his hands.

Clean.

Bloodless.

Just a dream.

Guy’s panic slowly began to subside as he dropped his hands into his lap, hanging his head to his chest as he sucked in air into his lungs to calm himself down. His lungs, although responsive, were as useless as his unbeating heart.

What the _hell…?_

He hadn’t had that dream in _years!_ What the hell had happened to trigger…?

Guy gripped his clammy forehead, raking his hand down his face. It was dark in the cell he had been sleeping in, though it didn’t matter to Guy whose keen eyes saw clearly in the pitch blackness.

“What the hell,” he groaned to himself, rubbing his face as he sank back down into the sleeping bag.

The images were as clear as ever in his mind now, the dream making it seem as though it had happened merely yesterday instead of over fifteen years ago.

Guy screwed his eyes shut, trying to shake those images away but it only made it worse.

The blood pooling around his friend, the ragged bite marks, the overwhelming guilt… _everything_ had resurfaced.

 _But why the **hell** did it? What triggered it?_ Guy grimaced in confusion. Normally that nightmare which had plagued his childhood would not resurface unless something big triggered it, like…

Blood. The blood that had dripped on his hands, that was it.

Guy groaned painfully, burying his face into the pillow. He needed to try to sleep some more… he had to try to forget. Bury the memories again…

Absently he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking out the small good luck charm. He stared at it for a while, his mind traveling back to that young boy whose life had been taken away far too soon.

Ripped away, and it was all his fault.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, gripping the charm tightly in his palm and trying to summon back the blissful cloud of sleep. It refused to claim him for a while however, but eventually he slowly began to drift off.

His eyes suddenly shot wide open, a memory of a voice shooting through his skull.

_“He never died or whoever it was you were thinking of.”_

Was she… had Suki been talking about…?!

He sat up, feeling his chest restrict again, knowing his heart would be racing.

Never _died?_

Was she talking about _him?!_

Was Theo…

_… Alive?_

No that was impossible, how _could_ it be true?! Theo had died, murdered by Guy’s own hand. There was no _way…_

Guy stared at the little charm, his mind reeling as he tried to figure this out. He was so… _confused_. Uncertain. _Lost._ What did this mean?

What should he _do?_

One thing was for certain… Guy wasn’t going to be getting any more sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Promise me you’ll wait until I return,” Rose insisted.

Thistle glared at her from across the table as he held a cup of coffee in his hands.

“We should do this before involving Poppy, everything is pure conjecture at this point, we have no proof other than pure speculation,” he muttered.

“Thistle,” she sighed. “You are the smartest Hunter alive—"

“Other than you and a few others,” he interrupted.

She scowled at him. “If you think that it’s Creek then I have full faith that you’re right.”

He grunted, wanting solid proof anyways.

“You may be gifted in the mind powers for a Hunter but this is a _Patrician_ vampire,” she growled. “Not only will it be hard to crack into his mind and not get mentally attacked in return, it will be dangerous even if he doesn’t resist. Which I doubt he’s going to, I hardly believe he’d just let you rummage about his fucking head,” she hissed.

Thistle glowered, tapping his cup.

“You can go insane or your mind get completely shattered!” she insisted.

“No vampire has been able to hypnotize me and get into my head, not even those Purebloods. I think you are worrying too much,” he muttered.

“It is too risky,” she repeated. “You should have me there to make sure I can shatter any connection.”

He sighed, knowing she had a point but he also stubbornly felt she would only get in the way and hold him back. He wasn’t sure what he would do, just yet…

“Fine,” he relented with a grunt.

She nodded, satisfied and stood up.

“I’m going to go get Poppy,” she informed and he nodded. “Don’t even _think_ about letting that vampire out,” she snapped suddenly. “I still can’t believe you were stupid enough to unchain him!”

Thistle stared at her with a grimace. “I was testing him. He didn’t attack me.”

“It was still stupid for you to do it when I wasn’t here!” she spat. “Now stay put.”

His face scrunched up with irritation but he said nothing as she strode out of the cabin, snatching his truck key and making him sigh.

Silence befell the hunter’s cabin and he stared down at his coffee in contemplation. He took a slow sip, thinking.

Putting the cup down he headed for the counter, picking up the bottle of pills and staring at them evenly. Mentally he counted the hours since he had been bitten.

It should be safe. Venom never lasted as long in the system as vampire blood.

Popping the cap, two fat red pills rolled onto his palm and he tossed them into his mouth.

He turned back, taking one last sip of his coffee before the flavors of everything he tasted was altered.

He took a deep breath, feeling the heat swirl in his stomach as the pills dissolved and the reaction swept through his body.

Every nerve catching on fire, like a live wire. His senses sharpening, and he took a deep breath as the strength swelled and activated in his muscles.

Why… did he have to feel so _alive_ when he was on them? Yet when they wore off…

He set the cup down, heading for the steel door and the glow in his blue eyes subsided.

The sound of the buttons echoed sharply in his ears and the air that sucked inside as the door opened was like soft hissing. No scent was amiss. The vampire was still in its cage.

He had to remind himself, to distance himself.

Yet, why was he suddenly finding it hard after speaking with Guy yesterday?

His mind immediately went to his brother, worrying about him and knowing his answer. His thoughts wandering to his mother for a moment, then nightmares of the ones he had hunted…

He shook the thoughts away, taking in a deep breath.

Thistle took the steps calmly, pressing his hands deep in his pockets and feeling the tactical belt shift around his waist.

He expected resistance. But if it did prove too dangerous… he would pull out.

Making it down the steps he turned on the lights and looked towards the diamond glass cage expectantly.

Guy had been pacing in a circle in his cell but halted in his tracks once the lights turned on. He blinked, hissing a bit at the sudden light that pained his eyes. His eyes fell on Thistle once they adjusted.

“...Uh, morning,” he said, turning his head. “You look bright and cheerful as ever.”

Thistle raised an eyebrow at that, a smart retort on his tongue that he swallowed.

He stepped forward with long strides, pausing before the glass walls and staring in.

“How willing are you to cooperating?”

Guy frowned at that, looking at him carefully. His arms were crossed tightly.

“Depends,” he said.

“Depends,” Thistle repeated, unsurprised. His hard gaze never shifted. “You’ve been silenced, but there are other ways to know the truth when you can’t say them,” he said steadily, his blue eyes glowing.

“I am specially trained to ward off vampires as powerful as myself from invading my mind,” Guy said carefully. “Just thought you should know.”

“If you resist,” he agreed. “Will you resist?” he asked quietly, staring intently.

“Why would I not? What’s your leverage other than killing me?”

“I thought you cared about Poppy,” he shot back.

Guy’s eyes softened immediately and he sighed, looking away. Guilt returned, swimming in his gut.

“I do, but… I don’t know if you guys have a chance of protecting her,” he admitted quietly.

“I thought you knew who I was,” he snorted, frowning.

“Trust me,” Guy said looking up, his eyes full of seriousness. “You don’t know what you’re up against.”

Thistle stared thoughtfully at those words, musing. “... There is honestly no way I can tell you otherwise.”

“Unless you prove you have a decent chance of fighting back—,” Guys words cut off and he sighed, frustratedly.

“Vampires have been weakening for centuries,” he started off. “Even your Purebloods grow weaker with each generation, rarely passing on their power or even their gifts anymore. My ancestor made sure of that when he killed your king.” _And we weaken along with you,_ he thought privately to himself.

Guy sighed heavily at that.

“Didn’t kill his heirs,” he mumbled.

“Like the one they call Chef?” he glowered.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve met her personally, she creeps me the fuck out,” Guy shivered.

“She killed and cooked my grandmother,” he spat back. “We thought Branch had fallen to the same fate.”

Guy grimaced deeply.

“I’m sorry, man,” he said.

“She may have gotten away before, but we’ve killed plenty of Draculs since Dracula himself,” he said quietly. “Most of them by my ancestors. Including my father.”

Guy only looked at him with sad eyes.

“There are things that I know that you don’t, but I can’t help you unless I can trust Poppy’s life is safe with you,” he said firmly.

Thistle stared, raising an eyebrow. “And you want me to prove that?” he growled. “How exactly? What will be the point of your life if I get my answers elsewhere?”

“Listen, I just want my friend safe, I don’t want her to be fed on like she is!” Guy shot at him. “Used for her—GAH!”

He turned around and started pacing again, his mind whirling.

Thistle stared intently, taking each clue that he could, vague or not.

“You know you don’t have much of a choice, right?” he said slowly. “Even if you don’t cooperate… I will try to break into your mind.”

Guy sighed heavily, throwing his head back in a loud groan.

“...Okay… you know what? Fine. Fucking _fine,_ I’ll let you into my mind, I’ve spilled enough fucking secrets that I’m probably going to be killed by my master anyway, so what the hell?!” he cried, throwing his hands into the air. “You’re probably the best fucking chance Poppy’s got, anyway.”

Thistle watched him, perplexed. He honestly hadn’t expected Guy to yield, most higher-class vampires stubbornly resisted to death, but he wasn’t about to complain, unless…

His eyes narrowed. It was a trap, to start a mental tug of war and overwhelm his own mind. He glanced up, wondering just how weak Guy thought he was.

Yet something told him that wasn't it either.

He finally let out a soft sigh.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, the words echoing in his ears. He never thought he would be thanking a vampire genuinely without a hint of sarcasm.

Guy planted his feet in front of the glass, his arms still crossed as he looked at Thistle.

“Just get it over with,” he growled.

Thistle frowned, meeting the angry and agitated blue eyes.

Their eyes met, the blue of Thistle’s irises flaring with an internal light as he reached for the power nestled deep in his mind. Their eyes creating the bridge that linked their minds by an intangible tether.

Immediately he found no resistance, just an agitated sea of thoughts. A powerful mind beyond his own and images and sounds assaulted him. He tried to shove past the current thoughts, seeking a deeper core where thoughts would be locked with veils.

The images flashing before him however, were disorienting but he was trained to ignore them, ignore what his enemy might assault him with and find what he was looking for.

The images however, triggered a strange response, drawing his attention.

Flashes of a stone, of a child’s face…

Instantaneously, pain seared into his end as his mind as if it had hit a wall. As if it had smacked into a veil. An internal veil in his _own mind._

“Ah—ig—ignore those memories please,” Guy said painfully and immediately the memories began to pull away as Guy automatically tried to hide them.

But a connection had been made, Thistle’s mind trying to grasp at them.

A howl ripped out of Thistle’s mouth as a sharp ringing distorted into his mind, into his ears like sharp daggers as he tried to pierce the veil he was suddenly aware of deep in his own thoughts. He doubled over in pain, clutching the sides of his head as tears pricked his eyes with the sudden massive headache. The link breaking and the images fading...

Guy froze, staring.

“What—what?!” he cried, knowing full well it wasn’t _him_ who had done that. “Are you okay? What the hell was that?!”

“Augh!” Thistle spat, turning away. “Son of a bitch!? What the fuck!? Why do I have locked memories!?” he screeched furiously, trying to shove the pain out of his skull. But now he was suddenly aware of a block deep in his own mind and it was agitating beyond all belief!

_How?! When?! Who?!_

“Uh… I mean… I dunno, man, it wasn’t me,” Guy said meekly, still utterly confused.

Thistle slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred but gradually returning to normal.

“The fuck…” he hissed, glaring at the floor, trying to figure this out. What was it that he couldn’t remember? Who had even _managed_ to do that to him? Didn’t he know his own mind? How could he _not_ have seen before that there were memories deeply repressed in his _own_ subconscious? Unless someone powerful had hid them long ago.

“Uh… so… you good?” Guy asked, cocking his head. “Like… I’m not sure what just happened, but…”

“I don’t fucking know either,” he spat, looking up suspiciously at Guy. “But whatever you were thinking right now, my mind tried to connect to it automatically for some reason and then I hit a fucking wall of blocked memories in my own damn skull,” he hissed furiously, completely perplexed.

“Connect…?” Guy echoed, bewildered. “But I was just thinking about—”

He paused, his eyes slowly widening. “...Um… wait, what the fuck,” he whispered. He looked at Thistle, his eyes suddenly searching over his form and he quickly backed away. “What the fuck?! No, fuck, no, no, that can’t be it,” he hissed, unable to take his eyes away from him.

Thistle glared at him confused, finally standing up straight again, scowling.

He looked away, narrowing his eyes. “The fuck… I can’t break it? I’ll need someone else to do it for me...” he muttered, ignoring Guy at the moment as he tried to think of a solution. There were hardly any Hunters that would be of any use to him however. Whatever the memories were… they were _old._

Only a vampire would be able to break through the veil and drag them forcefully to the surface. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if Branch…? That is if his brother ever came back.

He growled under his breath, crossing his arms as he tried to think of a solution to this pissy shit situation suddenly pressing his worries.

He frowned, confused, looking up at Guy carefully. Thoughtfully who was just staring like a gaping fish.

“Why… why would _your_ memories trigger repressed ones of mine?” he wondered bewildered.

 _“Theo?”_ Guy suddenly blurted out, his voice hoarse.

Thistle blinked, his eyes fogging up a moment as if his mind wanted to make a connection but failed.

“Um, _excuse me?_ What did you just call me? I don’t think I agreed to you making a fucking nickname out of my real name,” he glowered.

“N—no, no, no,” Guy croaked. “That was your… I mean… F—fuck, fuck, never mind, maybe I got this wrong,” he said, gripping his forehead and looking away. He was trembling again.

“So long as you don’t fucking call me Theodore, unless you want me to punch you,” he growled, his eyes narrowing.

“Theodore… his name was… and I called him Theo…” Guy whispered.

Thistle blinked, completely lost and in his current mood that was only making him more frustrated. “What the fuck are you talking about!”

“It—,” Guy slid his hands down his face, trying to calm himself down. “It’s… the name of the kid I thought I killed, okay?” he croaked.

“Thought?” Thistle echoed, turning to fully face him and he took a step closer to the glass.

“I… my friend, she’s… half banshee…” Guy tried to explain but closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Augh, listen, this doesn’t matter, just continue with what you were about to do already.”

“I can’t concentrate now with this fucking headache,” he retorted. “And now all I can focus on are theses fucking locked memories I can’t touch because mind powers don’t work on one’s self!” he spat outraged, throwing his hands in the air in his rage. “And whatever they are, they are fucking _old,_ which means no Hunter will be able to help me unlock them, only a fucking _vampire!_ ”

Thistle pinched his nose, shutting his eyes and cursing under his breath.

Guy was staring even more incredulously at Thistle and swallowed hard.

“Maybe… maybe you should look at those memories of mine… again?” he suggested carefully and in a very quiet voice.

Thistle looked up, grimacing. “I still don’t see how they are related, why your memories should even affect me unless you’re using some kind of mental power on me…” he stared hard and carefully.

“Wh—no, of course not!” Guy cried. “I said I wouldn’t!”

Thistle grunted, stepping forward again, curious.

“Well… might as well see what the fuck triggered this,” he muttered, staring over Guy with a frown.

Guy swallowed hard but planted his feet near the glass again, facing Thistle fully.

Thistle took a deep breath, his head still throbbing as his eyes began to glow again and forging the connection. The pain intensified but he ignored it, diving in.

This time the memories were at the forefront, being almost pushed towards him.

He stared through haze for a moment before the images cleared. Like a film was playing in his head. Children’s voices echoing and the image of a boy with black hair and blue eyes appeared.

Shock flooded through his and he ripped away from Guy’s mind in an instant. His eyes blinked but they still glowed harshly as his hands slammed into the glass and he gritted his teeth, snarling.

“What the _fuck?!_ How the _hell_ do you know how I looked like as a kid?!”

Guy flinched, trembling hard.

“That… that _is_ you?” he whispered. There were tears in the corners of his eyes. “That… that _is?!”_

“You think I wouldn’t recognize my _own damn face?_ Others used to make fun of that divot between my fucking teeth till I got my adult ones!” he spat furiously, wanting to know what the _fuck_ was going on.

“You—you were my friend,” Guy croaked. “We… met when we were six… I thought… I thought I _killed_ you.”

Thistle paused, staring confused as his anger somehow melted away and he blinked shocked and lost.

“Wh… what?” he echoed.

Guy was lost for words, staring at him through the glass and he swallowed hard, hardly daring to believe it.

_He was Theo._

_Thistle Oak, The Vampire Without Fangs, was fucking **Theo!**_

_Theo was fucking **alive!!**_

Thistle’s confused expression had melted to a brooding one, staring at the frozen face beyond the glass. He was still not quite believing it…

“If that’s true…” he started slowly wondering if he had gone mad trying to solve this mystery in his desperation.

Guy broke out of his shock and looked at him carefully, still unable to speak.

“Then break through the veil blocking my memories,” he growled, his eyes not blinking.

Guy stared but then gritted his jaw, swallowing hard and nodding slowly. He stared into Thistle’s eyes before they glowed a bright ultramarine blue and dove inside his mind.

He shoved past memories, memories he didn’t even look at twice. He didn’t care about them, he just had to get to the blocked part buried deep down.

Second nature told Thistle to resist, to not let his walls down. But he resisted the impulse, feeling… _no threat_ from Guy. He took a deep breath, letting the vampire sink into his mind like he had never let anyone do before.

Guy found the block easily and squinted his eyes as they flashed, focused on weakening it. It was stubborn for a bit but in the end, it gave way, melting like wax exposed to a flame.

Memories flooded out unconstrained like an ocean, slamming into both their minds, pouring in like a flood into Guy’s mind through the mental link.

Thistle took in a sharp breath, cold shock running through him as the memories ran fresh into his mind like they had happened only yesterday.

The small vampire boy he had befriended… Playing… spending days together until… His grandmother, holding him in her arms and… a red pill pressed into his mouth as she desperately begged him to hold on? The pain and shock of fire raging in his body…

A blood pill? _At six?!_ And he had… _survived_ it and _not_ turned?!

Suddenly why he had adapted to them so easily and quickly when he started his training at ten made an awful lot of sense, even his addiction… When the first one had saved him from the verge of death.

His grandmother’s eyes, glowing, making him forget…

The memories cut off, subsiding and Thistle realized he was panting as his heart thundered in his ears. He blinked, still looking into glowing dark blue eyes.

Tears were streaming down Guy’s face as he pulled away from Thistle’s mind, feeling his legs weaken and he slowly fell to his knees.

“G… Guy,” Thistle croaked as old emotions reignited with the memories and he stared down in shock.

“...I’m… I am so sorry,” Guy whispered, slowly looking up at him. “I am _so… sorry.”_

Thistle blinked, frowning. “Hey, it… wasn’t your fault,” he whispered back.

Guy flinched at those words, staring incredulously at him.

“Wh—yes it was!” he cried. “It was my fucking fault you nearly died because I couldn’t control myself, I was a goddamn idiot who shouldn’t have even gone outside when I was starving like that, and—and—oh god,” Guy gripped his face, trembling hard.

Thistle glowered, suddenly walking to the door and unlocking it. The metal bars unlatching and Thistle shoved the door wide open, striding in.

His hands grabbed Guy’s shoulders and he forced him to look at him. Completely forgetting they were Hunter and vampire, everything in him demanding he comfort him and fix this.

“It wasn’t your fault!” he snapped. “We were both kids, we _both_ didn’t know better. And from what I can tell, from your memories, your father starved you on purpose,” he growled angrily. “You were set up, we _both_ were.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Guy snapped. “I _know_ he did it on purpose, but it didn’t change the fact that I—that I believed you were dead for, for _years,”_ he cried.

“Would you stop!” he yelled, glaring. “I’m right here! I’m _alive,_ ” he spat.

Guy was sobbing, pressing his face into his palms, trying to stop the overwhelming feelings from ripping from his lungs.

Thistle let him go, lost for what to do as he slumped on his knees and stared helplessly. What the fuck _could_ he do? He shouldn’t even be doing this! Getting near an enemy—

No! He snarled mentally. This changed everything.

This was his _friend._ The first one he had ever made.

Damn the consequences, he had made a damn promise.

He reached forward and yanked Guy into his arm, hugging him to his chest and squeezing hard, frowning deeply. Unsure of what to say, all he could do was try to comfort him in some small way.

Guy’s sobbing immediately subsided, only occasionally sniffling as his eyes widened with bewilderment but also…

...also, extreme comfort.

Theo was hugging him.

Theo was… _okay. Alive. Safe._

But Theo… was also a fucking Hunter… who was _hugging_ him…

...wait, what the fuck.

He couldn’t help stiffening up, suddenly unsure how to feel or react—how _was_ he supposed to react?!

Thistle felt him tense and his arms slumped free and let him go. He leaned forward, peering into Guy’s tearstained face.

“Why did you freeze up?” he asked quietly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I honestly hope you aren’t fucking thinking that.”

“I…” Guy sniffed hard and swallowed the remnants of his sobs. “It, uh… just didn’t know how to react being hugged by… well, you know,” he waved vaguely at Thistle. “The Vampire Without Fangs… wow, this is a fucking mess,” he mumbled, rubbing his head.

Thistle blinked, then snorted, letting out a laugh and shaking his head at absurdity. Tears pricking his eyes as he busted a gut, feeling pain shoot in his stomach. Shit, when was the last time he had laughed that hard?

Guy watched him bewildered for a second before also finding the absurdity of the situation hilarious and started to chuckle, too, wheezing as he tried to stifle his laughs behind his hand.

Thistle finally looked up after a moment, smirking, letting the chuckles die. “I honestly forgot about that little detail for a minute. I was just a kid again, freaking out that I wanted to tell you I was okay but then my…” his smiled had dropped to a deep frown and he sighed, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. “What a fucking ironic mess, I’m… sorry,” he groaned.

Guy looked at him carefully before grimacing, but finding a small smirk in himself.

“Fucking ironic mess is right,” he murmured. “Who would have thought _you_ of all people would be my old childhood friend?”

Thistle sighed, looking at the glass as his arms slumped over his legs. “This fucking changes everything.”

“As if your brother didn’t before,” Guy quirked an eyebrow.

Thistle snorted sarcastically. “I thought I was done getting blasts from the past but apparently they aren’t done with me.”

“And you caught us both at the exact same time, too,” Guy snorted.

Thistle grimaced about that, looking at Guy finally. What were the chances? “Sorry about that too, if I had known… ugh,” he groaned shaking his head.

“Well, I mean, getting shot in the back and being paralyzed for a few hours definitely wasn’t fun,” Guy grunted.

“I can relate,” he snorted, then paused, staring hard at Guy. “I… I don’t know what to do… I found my old best friend but he’s also my enemy now,” he whispered conflicted.

Guy grimaced deeply.

“...To be fair… we were always kind of enemies. I mean… you were always going to be a hunter, and I’m…”

“I don’t know what I was saying back then, I didn’t know what being a Hunter meant,” he growled. meeting his gaze. “But I never lied to you, I meant every word I said in my heart when I said I would never hurt you.”

Guy stared at him carefully and sucked in a deep shaky breath.

“Well… you can still unsilence me, right?” he whispered. “I’ll be able to help you, and… let’s just say I think I trust you now,” he smirked, grinning widely.

Thistle grimaced, watching him carefully. “I can… try, but…” he looked away, sighing. “If it’s a Pureblood that silenced you then it’s going to take all my strength to the mental breaking point and it will hurt like shit no matter the result.”

“You can take some of my blood to make your pills more potent,” Guy suggested. “Make you stronger.”

Thistle chewed his inner cheek, touching his forehead. “I think I need to recover first, I don’t think my brain is in any state to be ripping down barriers right now. My head isn’t just doing backflips on me right now it’s hurting like the worst hangover of my life.”

“Fair enough,” Guy smirked. “Put some ice on your head, that helped me when I was training.”

Thistle sighed, pushing off the ground and turning away towards the wide opened door.

“Hey uh… weird request, can you maybe bring down a book or two down here for me?” Guy asked meekly.

Thistle looked back, frowning confused. “You want to stay down here?”

Guy paused.

“...Uh… wait, you’re letting me out?” he said slowly.

“Duuuuuh,” he deadpanned like it was obvious. “What jackass friends leaves his best friend in a fucking cage?”

“...Oh…” Guy slowly stood up, dusting off his shirt. “Well, I mean, I didn’t know if… I mean, you know, Hunter protocol and all that,” he scratched his neck awkwardly.

“I’m saying this again,” he repeated sarcastically. “I’m a fucking hypocrite, vampire sympathizer, and now I know where it started,” he smirked ruefully at Guy.

Guy found himself smirking back as he slowly followed Thistle out of the glass cage.

Thistle started to trudge towards the stairs, his smile vanishing. Was he an idiot? Just because they had been friends as kids… They both had changed since then, for better or for worse and here he was just… blindly trusting? But his instincts had never led him astray... Why would they now? He couldn't be sure but he knew Rose was going to kill him, that was no joke.

Guy followed him, his footsteps much quieter than Thistle’s.

“...Your, uh, partner isn’t going to like this, is she?” he grimaced.

“She’s going to— _ugh_ ,” he swayed, grabbing the handle bar on the steps hard and the metal screeched painfully as he crushed it unintentionally.

“Woah, woah,” Guy held up his hands instinctively, making sure he didn’t fall over. “You okay?”

“Head’s killing me,” Thistle muttered closing his eyes for a moment. “It might as well get the job over with before Rose murders my ass instead,” he sighed. “She’s not going to like _any_ of this.”

“I’d imagine not,” Guy mused ruefully. “I… uh… I know how to make good tea for headaches, if you want,” he said quietly, looking away as he rubbed his head.

“You don’t have to do that,” Thistle sighed, starting to trudge up the stairs again. “Right now, everything tastes like shit to me except what you can eat.”

“I actually don’t mind the taste of tea,” Guy said as he followed him. “It’s quite calming. I mean, I probably taste nothing close to what humans can, but what I can taste is nice.”

Thistle glanced back surprised as they reached the top of the stairs and entered the main part of the cabin.

“Huh,” he mumbled surprised and headed for the kitchen and straight to a medical cabinet. “Well, I’ve never tried tea while on the pill.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try, I guess,” Guy mused as he looked around the large cabin. He frowned, sniffing the air. “Hey, uh, if you don’t mind me asking… where’s your brother?” he asked, glancing at him. “His scent… it’s not fresh.”

“He ran off yesterday,” Thistle said quietly pulling out a bottle of pills as he frowned deeply.

“Oh…” Guy murmured.

Thistle sighed, slapping the pills on the counter and he opened the next cabinet which was lined with tea and other such objects.

“He had a panic attack, it was just… all too much for him.”

“Well, being alone as long as he was, I’m not surprised,” Guy said quietly.

“I wasn’t either, doesn’t make it easier,” he muttered

“...I’m sure he’ll come back,” Guy said, trying to sound optimistic.

Thistle shrugged, pulling out a random tea and scowling at it as he read the back of the box.

“Earl Grey is good for headaches,” Guy mentioned. “If you have any, I mean.”

Thistle looked into the cabinet, shuffling about it till he pulled out a new box and set it on the counter with a grunt. Closing the cabinet, he picked up the box and stared rather hopelessly at it in between his hands as his mind wandered.

Guy glanced at him staring into space and snorted.

“You gonna stare at the wall all day? Is that a past time for Hunters?” he joked.

Thistle blinked, looking over at Guy. “Um… Sorry?” he replied unsure what to say.

“It was a joke, man. You know how to make tea, right?”

“Actually, I don’t,” he outright stated. “I usually drink coffee, or alcohol, or water,” he shrugged.

Guy pursed his lips to try to keep himself from laughing.

“I’ll make it, then,” he said, stepping into the kitchen. He grabbed the box of tea and took out a few teabags.

“Mugs?” he asked.

Thistle had been staring, lost in this enigma and pointed to a cabinet without thinking.

Guy went to the cabinet and grabbed some mugs from it, setting them on the counter and grabbing the electric kettle, filling it with water before putting it back onto its port and turning it on.

Thistle grabbed the painkillers again, wondering if he had gone mad. All of this… was so damn foreign and he felt like he should be more conflicted. But despite the headache, his mind was completely calm and unbothered.

Guy was feeling more or less the same thing. This was definitely… weird.

He was making tea for a goddamn Hunter. One of the most famous Hunters, to be exact. Who also happened to be an old friend.

 _Wow_ , was the world fucked up.

Thistle swallowed the pills and grimaced. “This is all so fucked up,” he suddenly muttered.

“Hah! I was thinking the exact same thing,” Guy agreed.

“And I’m not even freaking out,” he sighed.

“I might be a little? But like, that’s probably just me… recovering from… everything,” Guy said, rubbing his head.

Thistle snorted in agreement, nodding once. “Same.”

The kettle finished boiling and Guy put the teabags in the mugs before pouring the water in. He took out a spoon from a drawer and stirred the tea before sliding one of the plain white mugs towards Thistle.

“There you go, I guess,” Guy grimaced.

“Um…” Thistle said uncomfortably, looking at Guy.

“What?” Guy drew his hand back.

“How… How’ve you been?” he asked awkwardly, frowning and rubbing his neck.

Guy stared for a moment before he snorted loudly at the absurdity of it all.

“I’ve been good, uh, life sucks but hey, when you’re a vampire that’s normal, right?” he shrugged.

Thistle smirked, suddenly an odd sensation coming over him. “Well, that’s what vampires do, they suck life,” he joked terribly.

“Exactly,” Guy clicked his finger at him.

Thistle chuckled and groaned at the same time, shaking his head as he picked up his mug. “Don’t encourage me,” he snorted.

“Why not?” Guy grinned, grabbing his own mug and taking a sip. “Are my jokes too _draining_ for you?”

Thistle groaned, fighting a smirk and partially succeeding. “You’re still as goofy as ever, I see,” he chortled with a roll of his eyes as he took a sip of the tea and immediately cringed.

“Yep, I’m a goofy Guy,” Guy shrugged. He eyed him. “Tea not working out for ya?” he grimaced.

Thistle shrugged, taking another sip. “Doesn’t taste like tea, even if I don't drink it often,” he sighed,

“Bummer,” Guy sighed. “Worth a shot though, right?”

Thistle gave him a small smirk at that and took another sip, a shiver running down his body.

“So… uh… How have… _you_ been?” Guy asked awkwardly, turning the question towards Thistle.

Thistle frowned, putting the cup down. “What can I say? Life sucks on my end, too, hunter training, losing my family, depression, trying to commit suicide, killing monsters…” he paused. “Shit, I’ll shut up now,” he grumbled picking up his mug again.

Guy stared, sympathy in his eyes and he looked into his mug as well.

“Yeah, I get that,” he said quietly. “Family ridiculing me, no control whatsoever in what I do, or what to be or who to love… Life fucking sucks.”

Thistle grimaced, nodding. “Patrician, right. Arranged marriage is my guess?”

“Yeah, I’ve… been… delaying it,” he said quietly. “This job here protecting my master is the only thing keeping me from hearing those wedding bells.”

“I’d suggest running away,” Thistle shrugged.

“...I can’t do that,” Guy said quietly, a haunted look in his eyes. “You have no idea who my master is.”

Thistle grimaced at that. “By the way, you should text him. He’s been blowing up your phone since yesterday.”

“...Shit,” Guy grimaced, looking up. “Where’s my phone?”

Thistle pulled it out of his pocket frowning. “Sorry, I did hack it and it has a trace on it and everything. So… _yeeeeeaaah_ ,” he shrugged.

Guy raised an eyebrow at him but grunted as he took the phone, opening it and flipping through his messages.

“Just so you know, I’m a computer genius, among other things so that’s how I concluded a lot yesterday. Even tracked your master’s phone to pinpoint his location. Bergen Town.”

Guy blinked at that, staring at Thistle incredulously.

“...He’s not going to like that,” he grimaced.

“He’s not going to know,” Thistle snorted. “Believe me when I say I can hack the Pentagon and _not_ get caught.”

“Geez, man, you’re an even fucking bigger force to be reckoned with than I thought,” Guy said, unable to help being impressed, Thistle shrugged. Guy glanced down at the phone worried however, biting his lip as he started to text.

“Try to keep the Hunter bits out?” Thistle asked with a grimace.

“Yeah, no, I’m not saying anything about you hunters… that would make things way more complicated,” Guy gritted his teeth. “I’m saying I lost my phone last night and left it somewhere…. Erh, good excuse?” he looked up at Thistle, not sending the text quite yet.

“Anyone you would visit and forget while leaving it charging? Or broke it?”

“I visited Suki the other day…” Guy mused.

“There you go,” he nodded walking past Guy and towards the fridge. Thistle opened the freezer, taking out an ice pack and heading into the living room past the open kitchen and island. Thistle sunk into the couch, leaning his head back with the ice, still sipping his tea as he opened his laptop.

Guy pursed his lips after sending the text, his fingers slowly tapping the phone in contemplation.

“...Uh… okay… what do I do now?” he wondered, mostly to himself. He was helping the Hunters now, what did that mean for his position?

Helping Hunters.

 _Wow._ He was either crazy or… no, he just was crazy.

Thistle looked up, having received the message on his end, too.

He frowned, looking back to his computer and closed it again. He paused, staring at his hand and put down his cup. Lifting his hands, he stared at them, confused as he reflected on the memories.

Guy grabbed his mug and walked over to the table, slowly sitting down while glancing over at Thistle occasionally. He sipped his mug carefully, his thoughts spinning over everything that had happened in just a matter of an hour.

Thistle reviewed the muddled memories at the end finding something not adding up.

“How… how am I still human?” he whispered, glaring confused.

Guy blinked and looked at him confused.

“Whaddya mean?” he grunted.

Thistle blinked, caught off guard and looked up. He frowned. “Your venom, it was in my system and my grandmother saved me… with a _blood pill._ Do you know how dangerous those are? I was _six._ I should have turned or died,” he muttered.

Guy stared at him thoughtfully, confused himself as he scratched his head.

“Honestly… I have no idea, man,” he said truthfully. “I thought you _were_ dead, so…”

Thistle grunted, closing his hands. “I don’t know either, she must have done _something._ I just wish I knew.”

“There’s no one else who might know?” Guy asked cautiously.

He shook his head. “No, my brother was three years old. All I know is that it might explain a few things, concerning my nature,” he grunted.

Guy nodded, pursing his lips again wishing he could say more. But he just felt awkward, not knowing what to say or do. He took another sip of his tea.

Thistle sighed and knew he would have to discuss it with Rose.

Guy suddenly stiffened, his ears picking up the sounds of a car’s engine slowly approaching the cabin from the distance. He swallowed.

“Uh… I think your partner is coming back,” he said cautiously.

Thistle nodded in agreement, hearing a faint recognizable echo himself. “Just relax and don’t make yourself look threatening and she shouldn’t shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Right… okay,” Guy mumbled, hunching his shoulders a bit, still on guard as he sipped a little more of his tea.

Thistle reached up and touched his shoulder and winced. He grimaced, staring at his damaged shoulder. They waited in silence.

The engine sound got progressively louder, the tires turning up the earth until it halted somewhere outside. A grinding sound echoed and Thistle cringed, gritting his teeth and visibly stiffening.

“Why does she always fucking do that?” he muttered under his breath.

“Isn’t that bad for your car?” Guy mumbled. “Grinding the gears like that?”

Thistle sighed painfully, nodding as he scowled. “She doesn’t get the hang of it though, since I don’t really let her drive it that often. But that truck is like my baby,” he muttered, glancing towards the door. “Not that she really gets that either.”

Guy grunted again and took a large slurp of his tea just as two pairs of footsteps sounded just outside the door and the handle began to turn.

The door swung open and Rose strode in with Poppy at her heels, and she froze instantly as she saw Guy at the table and Thistle lounging on the couch.

“...Hello,” Guy waved awkwardly, peering over his cup of tea.

Her blazing green glare shot to Thistle and her hand had already yanked her gun free of its holster on her hip with a quick jerk. Her other hand pushing Poppy back.

“It’s fine,” Thistle said instantly, trying to pacify her.

“You let him _out?”_ she hissed incredulously and Thistle nodded.

“Guy?” Poppy tried to peer around Rose.

“Hey, Popps,” Guy grinned awkwardly.

“He’s not going to do anything, you can relax,” Thistle insisted calmly.

“Not—! Are you fucking _stupid?!_ ” she snapped, glaring at her partner.

“I _told_ you he wouldn’t hurt anyone!” Poppy said adamantly.

“Did I ever tell you I had a vampire friend as a kid before I met you?” Thistle suddenly asked, and Rose blinked, lost and stared. “Turns out it’s Guy here,” he said jerking his thumb towards him.

“Yeah… what a twist, am I right?” Guy chuckled nervously, eyeing the gun Rose was still gripping.

She squinted, looking at Thistle. “Are you fucking _brainwashed?”_

Thistle sighed. “No, the memories were just locked by my grandmother after I almost died when I gave him my blood. So, I was just enlightened a little while ago myself. I’ll tell you the story later.”

“And he’s the reason I’m hemophobic,” Guy spoke up. “Because... Well… I believed I killed him for like, what, fifteen years?”

Thistle grimaced at that, glancing his way. “In that case, you’re the reason I have a problem with my pills,” he snorted dryly.

“...Should I be apologizing for that?” Guy grimaced.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he grunted in reply.

“Uh… But it wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know any better.”

Thistle grinned at him which left Rose staring with wide eyes. “Now you’re getting it.”

“Wait, wait, Guy is actually hemophobic?” Poppy stared at her friend. “That wasn’t an act?”

“Nope,” Guy shook his head, popping the ‘p’.

“And you’re finally admitting you have an addiction problem with the blood pills?” Rose laughed sarcastically, staring at Thistle with sharp eyes.

“Nope,” Thistle echoed, taking a sip of his tea. She growled, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. Guy snorted a little, burying his nose in his drink to hide his smirk.

“So, does that mean you’re helping us, Guy?” Poppy asked eagerly. Guy nodded.

“Anything to keep you safe,” he said adamantly. “I’m probably going to get killed for treason, but hell, I don’t care anymore.”

Rose stared suspiciously, unsure of all of this. “So, are you going to finally tell us what we need to know?” she demanded, crossing her arms.

“Once Thistle recovers, yeah,” Guy nodded his head towards him. “His brain is currently mush.”

She raised an eyebrow, turning to look at him alarmed.

“Long story,” he grunted as he pressed the ice to his temple. “But unlocking old memories can be real headache inducing.”

Rose’s face pinched up. “You tried to interrogate him while I wasn’t here,” she accused.

“No,” Thistle deflected. “I just asked him if he was willing to cooperate and one thing led to another and to our current situation.”

Rose rolled her eyes, slamming the door shut and shoving her gun back in its holster. “I must be insane,” she muttered to herself as Poppy flitted across the living room towards Guy.

“Yeah that makes more than one of us, then,” Guy said to Rose. He grunted as Poppy hugged him and chuckled, embracing her back.

Rose shot him a glare from behind the couch where Thistle was nodding in agreement.

“Have you heard from Branch yet?” Poppy asked, looking at Thistle.

Thistle’s expression immediately fell. “No.”

“Okay, he just needs a little more time, then,” she said. Her eyes brightened. “Hmm… I wonder,” she muttered to herself, tapping her chin in thought. Guy instantly knew that look, that was the Poppy-Planner look.

“So, are we telling her or not?” Rose demanded tensely.

Thistle scowled, glancing at Rose over his shoulder.

“Tell me what?” Poppy frowned.

After exchanging a long look, Rose opened her mouth but Thistle beat her to the punch.

“That your boyfriend is the vampire sucking you off.”

Rose groaned, slapping her own face before her other hand struck across the back of his head making him yelp in pain. “Wrong words you tactless dork!”

Poppy had frozen, staring at Thistle with wide eyes.

“Wait… what?” She blinked. “Creek? _Creek_ is the vampire? But… but no, that’s—but he’s a vegetarian and—he wouldn’t…” she was completely bewildered, unable to explain just how _wrong_ it was to see Creek as a vampire!

“It’s an act, I told you they try to blend into society,” Rose said tartly but trying to be gentle with her words. “Some are very good at it.”

“But—then he’s like Guy, right? He’s good? A good vampire?” Poppy asked. Guy cringed immediately, looking into his tea, the curse chaining his mouth shut.

Rose grimaced at that. “I think his reaction just proved otherwise,” she pointed out, gesturing to Guy.

Poppy looked at Guy, growing more and more bewildered.

“Guy, tell me Creek is good! Tell me he’s like you!” she demanded. “This is crazy, how could _Creek_ be—?! Guy, tell me!”

Guy only sat there, his mouth refusing to work and he slowly lifted a finger to tap his lips.

“He can’t speak, he’s been Silenced,” Thistle explained.

“He just spoke a moment ago, though?!” Poppy cried, confused, her voice rising higher.

“Poppy,” Rose sighed, walking around the couch. “Remember what I told you last night? About Purebloods being able to enslave their own kind and take away their free will? That’s what ‘Silenced’ means. It means he’s been given an order he can’t disobey, like revealing his master,” she said slowly.

“But—but—he can’t be evil, I _know_ he isn’t!” Poppy said stubbornly. “I _know_ Creek, I’ve known him since middle school.”

Guy immediately opened his mouth at that but again no air came out and he grimaced, groaning loudly as he clenched his fist, shaking his head violently. Poppy turned to him again, her eyes wide and perplexed.

Guy was pursing his lips and slowly opened his mouth.

“You… haven’t known us… since… middle school,” he said finally, his words straining. Poppy stared.

“What do you mean?” she cried.

“Moved… here two… years ago,” he said quietly. “Master… gave everyone fake memories.”

Thistle and Rose stared intrigued by this but unsurprised.

“Fake… _memories?_ ” Poppy squeaked. Guy nodded, gritting his teeth.

“Trust us more,” he mumbled. “Get close to you.”

“Nothing new there,” Rose said with derision. “It’s a common tactic when they switch territories.”

Poppy slowly sunk into a chair at the table, her mind swirling, not wanting to believe this.

“But… but that doesn’t mean he’s evil, right?” she whispered quietly. “I mean, vampires need blood to live, right? I mean it _kiiiinda_ makes sense why he was drinking from me and stuff. It just like a blood donation, right?”

Guy smacked his face.

Rose groaned. “What next? Rape is just helping someone get the urge out?”

“Wh—no!” Poppy cried immediately. “That’s not what I was saying!”

Thistle let out a dry grunt. “Either way, it’s not consensual, but vampires need to feed to survive and one of their biggest rules is not to reveal themselves.”

“Are you _really_ defending them!?” Rose cried, aghast.

“No,” he said slowly, eyeing her. “It doesn’t change the fact they are parasites taking without consent, I’m just rationalizing the behavior. It’s how they hunt to survive and protect their own existence. Humans usually find out when they get turned or a vampire intentionally reveals themselves, for sport or if they have a romantic relationship with the human,” he finished his explanation looking directly at Poppy while shooting a careful glance at Guy.

Guy only stared at his tea broodingly, not denying any of Thistle’s words.

“So, is that all Creek wants with me then? He just wants to suck my blood?” Poppy croaked. “Are you saying he doesn’t feel anything for me?!”

Rose grimaced, rubbing her arm and was unsure how to say the next words. “There is _one_ other reason that he likely wants you for…”

“And that is…?” Poppy looked at her friend.

“Breeding,” she said flatly.

“...wait, what?” Poppy looked at her confused. “What do you mean _breeding,_ why—why would he—”

“Vampires have a very difficult time reproducing among their own kind,” Thistle spoke this time, sitting straight and picking up his cup of tea. “It has become rarer and rarer for them to successfully conceive with their own kind. But with humans? Sure, the baby will kill the mother on its way out if she makes it through the entire cycle. But, human females after they are Turned are still highly fertile and get pregnant much more easily than a born vampire female. Heirs are very important to the higher-class vampires, especially to the Purebloods who typically breed with only other Purebloods or Patricians, but will take other breeding mates just in case.”

“That isn’t why he wants me, right Guy?!” Poppy cried, looking at her friend. “He can’t want me for _that_ reason, right?!”

Guy didn’t meet her eyes.

“Guy!” Poppy’s voice shrieked in panic. Guy slowly looked up and tapped his lips again.

“Well, that answers that,” Rose muttered venomously.

Poppy had paled considerably, staring at Guy in horror.

Thistle however wasn’t looking so convinced as his thoughts rummaged on some rather vague words Guy had spoken earlier.

“I think… there’s more to it than that,” he suddenly said and Rose shot a sharp inspecting look his way.

“This is fucking frustrating, just look into my mind already,” Guy growled.

“Headache,” Thistle retorted pointing to his head. “I may be the Vampire Without Fangs but I can still shatter my own mind if I overuse that ability,” he scowled.

“I know, I know, but it’s still fucking frustrating to hear you guys blabber and speculate when I know the truth,” Guy seethed, gripping his skull in frustration.

“And you don’t think it’s frustration to just speculate and _not_ know?” Rose retorted.

Thistle groaned, shoving himself up.

“Wow, wow, what are you doing?” Rose demanded.

“This is frustrating, like he said,” Thistle snarled. “I’m just going to do it.”

“If you get one inch near him right now, I will tranquilize your ass,” she snarled, stepping in the way.

Thistle glowered, throwing his hands in the air. “Fine! We’ll just fucking wait for another damn twenty-four hours until I can take another fucking pair of pills!” he said exasperated and sarcastic.

“You took two?!” she yelled. _“Why!?”_

He flinched, gritting his teeth. Shit, why did he say that? “Fuck this, I’m leaving,” he growled marching for the door.

“Get back here, your shoulder hasn’t even fucking healed completely yet!”

He stopped before the door, his face pinched up with anger and he growled in frustration. He turned back around but didn’t head back for the couch, but went straight for the fridge and yanked out a beer making Rose groan in irritation.

“I’m going to the study,” he informed evenly. “We’ll deal with this mess tomorrow.”

Rose sighed, nodding as he turned for the stairs. Thistle paused though, looking back at Guy. He opened his mouth but then fell short, frowning, and looked away as he marched up the stairs without another word.

Rose sighed, rubbing her temple as she looked away worriedly. Guy and Poppy stared in the direction Thistle had gone, concerned.

“Fuck, why does he have to do this shit to himself?” she asked herself exasperated.

“He’s just frustrated,” Poppy said softly. “I am, too… and confused… I’m so confused,” she whispered.

“Let’s just get you home,” Rose sighed and looked at Guy. “Thistle said Creek wouldn't be back for another six days, is that right?”

“Yes,” Guy nodded.

“Then we have time,” she decided with a nod. She eyed him, thoughtful and warily. “How do I know I can trust you not to fucking run away?”

“Honestly? I don’t know how to prove it to you other than my word. Thistle trusts me because of that shared memory we have… I think he does, anyway,” Guy murmured.

“Just because you two were friends as kids doesn't make you friends now,” she said harshly. “You two have changed since then.”

“I know, but… I love Poppy, okay? She’s my best friend,” Guy said, looking up at Rose, his eyes full of honesty. “I don’t want her to fall to the fate I thought was once impossible to escape from. Before I didn’t think there was a chance but…” he trailed off with a small shrug. “A small chance is better than no chance at all.”

Rose frowned, staring intently and for a long time. She nodded after a moment. “Alright, if Thistle is willing to trust you, then… I’ll respect his decision. Let’s get you two home. He’ll call you to come over tomorrow when he’s ready and I’ll pick you up Poppy.”

Guy and Poppy nodded, but Poppy’s was less firm than Guy’s. Her head was still spinning like a top and her lip was trembling.

Guy reached his hand over and squeezed her hand.

“While we are here,” Rose added. “Who’s the banshee and who’s the werewolf so I don’t go sniffing around people’s houses.”

“Suki is half banshee,” Guy said, glancing at Rose.

 _“What?!”_ Poppy yelped.

“Yeah, and she knows what I am. Biggie is the werewolf.”

“WHAT?!” Poppy screeched even louder than before.

Rose flinched, grimacing with the sound.

“Thanks,” she said. “Is the werewolf turned or born?”

“He was born a werewolf, his grandfather was one, he told me. He has a cabin in the mountains that he goes to once a month,” Guy said.

“The full moon is this week,” Rose muttered. “But that easies my worries a little, thank you,” she nodded towards him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised he’s stuck around you two, vampires and werewolves have been enemies for centuries. Especially with the werewolf fights higher class vampires like to capture them for. Your kind treats them less than dogs.”

Guy immediately snarled at that, his fangs flashing in his agitation.

“I fucking _hate_ werewolf fights,” he growled. “Biggie is my _best friend_. My Master doesn’t care about him, but I love him.”

“What do you mean Creek doesn’t care about him?!” Poppy whimpered, nearly on the verge of tears. Guy immediately cringed at himself, gritting his teeth for being so careless.

Rose grimace, striding forward and pulling Poppy into a hug.

“It’s alright, we won’t let him hurt you or anyone, I promise.”

“But… but he _wouldn't_ hurt me,” she whispered, so confused. Guy sighed.

“Go home and rest, Popps,” he said standing up. “It’s been a hard day for all of us.”

Rose nodded, pulling Poppy towards the door. “Let’s go.”

Poppy mutely followed, staring into space lost in thought as Guy followed them both out the door. He paused, glancing back in the direction that Thistle had gone before he looked down at his phone, scrolling through his contacts.

“One sec, Rose, can you give me yours and Thistle’s numbers?” he asked her.

Rose frowned, turning back around and held out her hand. “Sure, but I can’t give you Thistle’s, he’s pretty particular about that. It’s his number, not mine.”

“Alright, I’ll go ask him real quick then,” Guy said, turning around to head in the direction Thistle had gone.

Rose watched, still uncertain as every part of her told her not to trust him. She watched him quickly climb the stairs to the second floor and she couldn’t get the worry to leave her.

Upstairs, Thistle was already standing in the hallway. His enhanced hearing leaving no conversation private in the cabin as he stared expectantly at the approaching figure.

Guy stopped at the top of the stairs, looking at Thistle.

“Uh, hi,” he said.

“Hey…” he replied quietly, his hands were in his pockets before he took out one hand and his palm faced up, waiting. Guy placed his phone in his palm before shoving his hands in his own pockets, biting his lip awkwardly.

Thistle looked down at the phone, already tapping at the screen.

“You kept it… all this time?” he asked softly, his voice choked with strained emotion.

“Kept what?” Guy blinked.

Thistle looked up, frowning as he passed the phone back. “The stone. The lucky charm as we put it back then.”

“...Yeah,” Guy murmured, realizing it was in his pocket and he took it out, rubbing it gently. “It was the only thing I had left of you and…”

“Never thought it was bad luck?” he whispered quietly, looking down at it.

Guy snorted.

“I never even considered something associated to you could be bad luck,” he shrugged in explanation.

Thistle grimaced, looking away guiltily.

“That… That means a lot,” he finally whispered. “Thank you.”

“Thank _you_ for not being dead,” Guy snorted. “Oh, and thanks for the phone number,” he waggled his phone before putting it in his pocket with his charm. “I should… probably go now.”

Thistle nodded. “See you later, Guy,” he breathed, turning away again.

“See you, Theo,” Guy said and then paused with a frown and Thistle also paused in his tracks. “Erm… you don’t mind me calling you that… do you?”

Thistle smirked, just a small soft smile, looking back. “Check your contacts,” he replied, before vanishing into the study and the door closed.

Guy blinked before digging his phone out of his pocket again, glancing down as he looked at his contacts.

The name ‘ _Theo’_ was typed in plain black letters. Guy found himself smirking himself, a strange pressure in his chest lifting and making him feel more energized.

He walked back down the stairs, putting his phone away again to see Poppy and Rose waiting by the front door for him.

“Sorry, I’m back, let’s go,” he said.

Rose nodded, leading them both out into the dim sunlight in the forest.

 


	15. Not in Person

 

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucketty _fuck!”_

Guy let out a loud whine, staring at the back of his shirt he was holding out in front of him, observing the large hole and bloodstain in the back. It was his favorite shirt, too!

_Fuck!_

He had no choice but to toss it into the trash, as painful as that was for him to do so. He groaned, rubbing his head as he went to his closet to his bathrobe, which was hanging on the door handle.

He grasped it and carried it over his shoulder to the bathroom. As he turned on the tap to run a shower, his mind couldn’t help continually thinking of everything that had happened.

It was absolute batshit _crazy!_

 _He_ was fucking crazy!

He was betraying Creek fucking _Dracul!!_

_A fucking Dracul!!_

How would this turn out okay?! How would this turn out remotely, barely even one percent okay?!

He shook his head and grimaced, trying to rid his thoughts as he stripped the rest of his clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over him. He bit his lip, chewing in contemplation, before his spine stiffened and he sucked in a deep breath, useless to him though it may be.

What was done was done. He couldn’t change the past, but he would no longer work against his conscience.

Coming here two years ago… it had been easier to lie, to pretend to be their friend, but over time… The lie had become the truth and Guy just…

He fell in _love_ with the humans. Their culture, their life, the way they could _choose,_ choose to be anything they wanted to be or love who they wanted to love. The way they could express themselves in a way that reflected who they truly were inside.

It was absolutely… _liberating._

It was Poppy who had insisted Guy wear whatever he wanted. It was Poppy who had insisted it wasn’t silly or stupid. It was just _him_.

She meant the world to him.

And no, he was not in love with her, he was sure of that. He was certain those feelings had fallen on another female figure.

But it was hopeless anyway… why did he even bother? He was arranged to marry someone else.

Guy screwed his eyes shut, slowly sinking to his knees as he let the water from the shower fall over him like steaming rain. His thoughts traveled to his childhood friend who had defended his ‘freakishness’.

Maya.

She was a nice girl, truly. A Pureblood, too, though from one of the weaker lines… and if Guy married her he was sure he would break her heart, because he couldn’t love her that way. She was his friend, but…

Guy sighed heavily, but then steeled himself again.

Maybe this would change things.

Helping the Hunters? He was practically forfeiting his life.

His family would most likely disown him, if they didn’t kill him before Creek did, and then Maya would have someone who could properly love her.

He wondered how this would play out?

 _Either way, I’m probably going to die, so no point in thinking my life will turn out for the better,_ he mused with a frown. _All that matters is Poppy being safe._

He could tell convincing her that Creek was not looking out for her best interests was going to be difficult. He was beyond positive that once she was of no more use to Creek…

No, he couldn’t think about that. He had to just think of keeping her safe.

Absently, he remembered he was supposed to be washing himself, not sitting under the water staring blankly like an idiot. He grabbed the soap, quickly lathering it over his body.

His fingers ran over the still tender spot on his spine and he grimaced, knowing it was probably going to be sore for a little while longer.

Guy shook his head and finished washing his body before shutting off the water, clambering out of the shower and wrapping the bathrobe around himself. He quickly brushed his teeth, which was rather useless to them but just a part of his ‘human’ routine and then walked into the bedroom.

He promptly collapsed onto the bed with a groan. He needed sleep. His brain was working way too hard, too many things to process at once. It needed a break, and so did Guy—plus his back was killing him, that cell floor had in no way been comfortable for his already sore back.

A buzzing sounded out with a familiar ringtone.

Guy froze before diving for his phone on the bedside table, immediately answering the call.

“Ah—Creek, Master Creek, hi,” he said quickly. “Hello.”

Shit. Way too nervous sounding.

 _“Did you really forget your phone?”_ the voice mused thoughtfully.

“Yeah, it had died and then I went to charge it. But the other reason why I haven’t been around was because I was in the woods all day yesterday with that rogue,” Guy explained, thinking of an excuse on the fly.

 _“I see…”_ he fell silent, the time ticking before his calm voice echoed again. _“What is the verdict with this Rogue?”_

“He… he’s skittish, but… I have hopes for him,” Guy said casually. “But he’s been out of human society, or any society for that matter, for quite a while, so… just… slowly working with him, I guess,” he muttered, rubbing his head, wondering how far he could take this lie.

 _“You are not shirking your duties with Poppy, are you?”_ he asked with just a touch of menace.

“No, of course not,” Guy said immediately. “I’m a good multitasker.”

_“You were aware of her whereabouts yesterday and you did not report it, then?”_

“I’m sorry, Master. That was when I lost my phone,” Guy said quietly. “I knew where she was the whole time.”

There was silence on the other end then a soft grunt. _“Will this rogue be of any use to us?”_

“Uh… haven’t decided yet,” Guy said carefully.

_“Do not waste your time on a useless asset, Guy.”_

“Yes, Master Creek,” Guy replied.

_“There is an issue I want you to deal with.”_

“Yes, Master Creek?”

_“South in Garingston there is a rogue, raping and killing human women. He will attract the Hunters too near our location. You know what to do.”_

“Understood,” Guy nodded. “It’ll be done by tomorrow night.”

 _“Good,”_ he rumbled. _“And make sure our rogue also knows the rules, who he cannot lay a hand on. I trust you won’t forget to impart such important manners?”_

“Of course,” Guy replied.

_“There is also a new report that has me concerned…”_

Guy frowned. “What?”

_“News that Thistle Oak left his hometown suddenly.”_

“Oh, really? Do you know where?” Guy asked, trying to keep his voice in check though his eyes flashed.

_“No. It happened in the night which is what concerns me. Keep an eye out, the Feast is too close to not be suspicious of the upper-class Hunters’ movements. This one **will** occur without another purge.”_

“I’ll keep both eyes out for him,” Guy replied firmly.

 _“Good,”_ Creek purred then his voice softened to the friendly tone he spoke among their human companions. _“I hear you ditched Satin on your date,”_ he sniggered.

“...Fuck,” Guy breathed, then he sighed. “I… got busy and… honestly I don’t see the point in dating her as much as I want to. I’m arranged to marry Maya after all,” he said in a low voice.

 _“I could turn her for you, no one will blink twice if you have more than one breeding mate. Not even your father,”_ he chuckled.

“No,” Guy said instantly. “No… I don’t want her in this life. And you _know_ I don’t like the idea of more than one mate,” he said a little crossly.

_“What tone you have with me Guy, tsk tsk. When I am being so generous with you and offering you a choice.”_

“...Apologies, Master Creek,” Guy said meekly, trying to sound more formal again.

A soft threatening snarl came through the phone speaker. _“Don’t lose your phone twice.”_

“I won’t,” Guy said firmly. “This won’t happen again.”

 _“Good. Report by tomorrow night.”_ The line cut off, falling silent.

Guy let out a loud, extremely relieved sigh, setting his phone down. He tensed again however and picked it back up, going through his contacts and clicking a certain name.

Guy _: My master wants me to go to Garingston tomorrow. Rogue attacking there, will cause too much attention to ourselves and might attract hunters.  Lmao, irony, much?_

Guy paused, glancing at the last bit of text. Why did he send that last bit?

He finally shrugged. No harm in joking, right?

A moment later his phone buzzed as he got a reply.

Theo: _I just got that Hunter’s order this morning from the Society. I have 42 hrs to complete the extermination._

Guy: _I have till tomorrow night._

Theo: _Same._

Guy paused, biting his lip.

Guy: _….Would hitching a ride be a viable option?_

Theo: _You want to… hunt with me?_

Guy: _Well, I mean, he’s kind of a rapist and murderer, we’re like cops I guess. Heh._

Theo: _…....We have to be careful, we can’t be seen._

Guy: _Don’t you hunestr have like helmets or something?_

Guy: _*Hunters_

Theo: _That’s not the point, there are eyes on me, from your kind. Also, this changes things. Another fucking Feast. You have to be fucking kidding me._

Guy: _I figured you would hear that phone call, hacking into my phone and all._ _And yeah, another Feast. Patricians and Purebloods from all around the world are invited…._

Guy paused, before grimacing as he started to text again.

Guy: _….Chef Dardana will be there, too._

Theo: _Understood._

Guy: _Soooo… then is the hitching a ride thing a thing or should we do it separately?_

Theo: _Take your car and park it an hour out of town. I will meet you._

Guy _: What time?_

Theo: _Leave at dawn, be there by 6 am. The drive is four hours._

Guy: _Got it, Boss._

Theo: _……...the fuck?_

Guy snickered.

Guy _: What? No calling you boss? Ok._

Theo: _….uh, whatever? I don’t fucking know! Just…. Uh. Whatever._

Guy: _Sure thing, Boss._

Theo: …………..

Guy snickered harder, sinking into his pillows more. Theo was fucking fun to tease.

 _I am teasing Thistle Oak. Okay, definitely the weirdest day of my life,_ Guy mused.

Guy: Just teasing, man.

He quickly deleted that text before he sent it.

Theo: _I saw that, jackass._

Guy: _Fuck. You see everything i do on my phone, keep forgetting. Bleagh._

Theo: _Look up porn and I’ll shut your phone off._

Guy: _Dont worry, I get off on looking at glitter paint mixing videos, lmao_

Theo: _….why does that NOT surprise me?_

Guy: _Funny how many times people say they aren’t surprised at the weird things I do._

Theo: _Ugh. No comment._

Guy: _Lmao_

The entire chat suddenly vanished, an empty log showing up. Guy blinked in surprise, staring at his phone. Did Theo just…? Yeah, he just deleted the entire conversation.

Guy: _Wow, a blank space. Blank everything. I can’t remember anything that was said. What is my name? Who am I?_

Theo: _=_= Good night Guy._

Guy: _night man :P_

Guy couldn’t stop chuckling as he put his phone down. Perhaps he was being a little too ridiculous, but Guy was ridiculous. Plus he had a bad habit of making jokes in awkward situations… he just hoped Theo got a laugh out of them, too.

His phone buzzed again. Guy frowned and picked it up, looking at it.

Theo: _Would you STOP fucking laughing and go to bed, please?!_

Guy let out a bark of laughter.

Guy: _Oh so you can see and hear what I’m doing outside of my phone, too? Stalker._

The: _……..fuck you._

Guy: _:P For your info I will laugh however much I want in my own house._

Theo: _Ugh… laughing is making my shoulder hurt._

Guy couldn’t help grinning a little at that. So he _was_ making him laugh.

Guy: _Doesn’t vampire pills help heal it?_

Theo: _Only to a degree, it’s not enough blood in each pill since there was also poison in the bullet. It gets used up before it can completely heal it._

Guy: _Makes sense. I just didn’t realize my laugh was that contagious._

Theo: _Shut up, Guy._

Guy: _*zips lips*_

The chat log vanished again.

Guy chuckled softly, almost setting down the phone again before picking it up, considering sending one last text.

 _Nah,_ he decided, setting it back down. He’d bothered him enough tonight.

...Okay, it was way too tempting.

Guy: _GOODNIGHT BOSS_

Fuck, capslock. Oh well.

Theo: _THATS IT._

Guy froze at that text.

Guy _: ……?_

The message screen vanished and the dial screen suddenly swept into view, the phone dialing...

_Satin?!_

“What the fuck? WHAT!? THEO!” Guy cried. A message popping up in the bar.

Theo: _Have fun, smart ass. :P_

“THEO THIS ISN’T—,”

_“Hello?”_

“Satin!” Guy said as cheerfully as possible. “Satin, hey, uh… hey.”

_“Hey yourself… is… everything okay?”_

“E—everything’s fine, everything's fine, sorry I kind of… uhm…”

 _“I’m surprised you’re calling this late, did you finally remember about our date?”_ she asked unimpressed.

Guy groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m sorry about that, I was… occupied, and I’d lost my phone,” he said with a grimace. “I honestly didn’t mean to stand you up like that.”

She huffed loudly on the other end. _“Well, I guess I’ll let it slide… **this** time.”_

Guy grimaced, scratching his neck.

“...Okay, uhm… thanks,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.”

She giggled. _“It’s fine, but next time the date better blow me away. I even made you a new shirt this time,”_ she pouted quietly on the other end.

Guy groaned, feeling guilt swell in his stomach even though _technically_ he wasn’t to blame for standing her up.

“I’ll be there next time, I promise,” he said.

_“Good, well, I was in bed so…”_

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll let you go to sleep, sorry,” Guy apologized.

_“Night, Guy! Sleep well.”_

“You, too, Satin. Night,” he said and the line ended. He glared at the phone. “I’m still mad at you,” he growled at it, knowing Theo could hear him.

Theo: _Good, now we’re even._

Guy snorted.

“So sensitive,” he chuckled.

Theo: _May I suggest some flowers to go with that snob? Some lilies? Looks like her kind of flowers. lol_

“Maybe,” Guy sighed, his face falling. “But now you put me in a bigger pickle, thanks for that… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow though, so…”

 _“Bigger pickle?”_ the deep voice cut out of the speaker.

“ _Fuck!_ —man, you scared me,” Guy wheezed, taken aback by the voice. A message appeared instead.

Theo: _Sorry._

“No, no, I just didn’t expect to hear your voice, but…. Yeah, I… well… I don’t think I should… as much as I want to, I don’t think I should get close to Satin like that,” Guy explained in a soft voice. “Arranged marriage back home, plus… she’s human. I’m… not.”

Theo: _Mm… I get that. But I don’t get romantically close to anyone for different reasons, even Rose. Hunter’s code is an excuse and even though she… ugh, forget it. Sorry again._

“No problem, man,” Guy said softly. “There’s just also the fact that I’m probably gonna get killed for treason for helping you out, so like, what’s the point?” he grunted.

Theo: _I’m not going to let you die._

Guy sighed heavily.

“With all due respect, man… you don’t know my Master,” he said softly. “He has… he… agh,” he grumbled.

Theo: _I’ll find out._

“Yeah,” Guy murmured.

Theo: _You think I can’t kill him just because he’s a Dracul?_

Guy stared at that text and swallowed hard.

“How…? Oh, never mind, but… it’s not just that,” he said softly.

Theo: _I’m currently system hacking Creek’s mansion servers in Bergen Town. I found some compelling evidence since he’s related to Dardana. Anyways, just rest, you’ll show me later._

“Yeah,” Guy grunted. “G’night, Theo.”

The chat log vanished again, with no apparent good night in sight. The screen dimming.

Guy set the phone down on the bedside table and flicked off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

_“Goodnight.”_

Guy paused before he smiled.

“You do realize how creepy that sounded just now since I just turned off the light,” he snorted.

A laugh busted through the speaker. _“I did it on purpose, didn’t make you scream though.”_

“Of course you did,” Guy laughed. “Nah, nothing scares me. I’m the stuff of nightmares myself,” he sniggered.

_“Pffft, night, Guy. I’m turning off my computer, you can stop worrying about your stalker.”_

“Thaaaaank you,” Guy chuckled. “Morn you in the seeing.”

 _“....the fuck? Oh, whatever,”_ the voice snorted.

Guy laughed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Thistle carefully slung the pack over his back as he headed for the door. He paused, pulling out his phone and then looking down at the walkie-talkie…

Two days, Branch had still not contacted him and he sighed painfully.

He glanced out the open door to the dusky light as dawn rippled through the trees. Would his brother ever come back…?

Call him?

He felt his heart sink.

“Hey.”

He turned around, seeing Rose at the bottom of the stairs.

“Why are you sulking?” she whispered, watching him.

He shrugged.

“Branch?”

Thistle grimaced, letting out a sigh. Guess he was that obvious, at least he had a distraction to occupy him today from thinking about it.

“I don’t like you going on a mission alone, I mean, I know you’ve done it before but I… can’t help feeling worried this time,” she whispered, looking out the door to the rising sunlight.

 _Technically, I won't be alone…_ But he wasn’t about to share that and worry her more.

“I’ll be fine,” he said gruffly. “I need to take care of this before more Hunter’s get sent out. I can’t have the Order sniffing around here.”

She nodded seriously, agreeing.

“Be careful and be safe.”

He smirked, just slightly. “I will be.”

She smiled faintly back but then it fell, she rubbed her right arm looking away.

Thistle frowned, perplexed.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing it’s just…” she sighed, smiling ruefully at him as she met his gaze. “I haven’t heard you laugh like that since… we were kids,” she admitted. “Last night.”

He blinked and ended up shrugging as he frowned. “I guess I haven’t had a real reason to all these years.”

“Yeah…” she whispered, glancing painfully away. “Be safe.”

She turned, heading up the stairs and Thistle was left staring helplessly after her, guilt eating at his guts. He took a deep painful breath and headed out, locking the door behind him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

That hour out drive soon saw the trees thinning around the road in the landscape.

He didn’t need his enhanced vision to spot the figure standing off the side of the road the moment the timer hit one hour out. He could see Guy just at a junction where the trees thickened by a rock overhang on the right side of the road.

The giant truck slowed, driving off the road and into the grass and dirt, tearing up the soil as Thistle pulled the truck to a stop. His eyes flickered to the right where well hidden past some bushes and a giant boulder was the faint gleam of a white mustang with the blue and silver stripe running over the top length of the car.

Guy was leaning against the giant boulder, his arms crossed casually and wearing a light blue button down shirt, the silver studs decorating it glinting in the sunlight. He was wearing another pair of sunglasses, which shimmered in the light.

Thistle eyed him past the windshield, finding the attire oddly unconventional for a hunt in his experience but suitable for blending in public. Still, he wore black clothing, portions of the armor already in place except the chest piece and helmet which today he was reluctantly going to wear.

Guy pushed off the boulder, walking over to the large truck, obviously a little tense.

Thistle frowned, wondering if this had been a bad idea. What had been going through his mind?

That he didn’t want to go alone? As if, though it was not recommended and usually discouraged by the order, he was used to taking down easy missions solo.

He tapped the steering wheel, frowning, waiting as he eyed the passenger door.

The passenger door opened and Guy’s head poked in, his chest just barely coming up to the floor.

“Holy _fuck_ , this thing is big,” he said, lifting up his sunglasses to peer around better.

Thistle smiled just a little, proud. “She’s gorgeous in my opinion.”

“I agree with that opinion, this thing is badass,” Guy said, hauling himself into the truck and closing the door behind him. He glanced around. “Nice to see what it looks like from the front seat and not the truck bed,” he snorted.

Thistle snorted. “Sorry about that, but the cage honestly isn’t more comfortable,” he pointed out just jabbing his thumb backwards.

Guy snorted again, scooting back into the seat, his toes barely touching the metal floor. The truck revved up and rolled out of the forest terrain and back on the road.

“So… how do you Hunters usually go about this?” he asked, interested.

“Depends on the mission and how much reconnaissance information we have. This one, there is none except locations of victims,” he pointed to the folder on the dash. “So, first things first, scout the area of the most recent murders, cross coordinate, and find a trail to the lair.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Guy nodded, grabbing the folder. “May I?” he asked.

“Sure, that’s why I printed it. Usually I keep everything digital.”

Guy nodded and opened the folder, flipping through the few pages already filled with columns of notes. The images labeled and covered with small sheets so the gore images were not immediately in sight. Guy lifted a few of them and suppressed a groan, his eyes softening.

“I’m going to guess Turned or Half Blood,” he said quietly.

“I doubt it’s a Half Blood, those are as rare as Patricians. Turned is the likeliest bet.”

“True,” Guy mused.

“This guy has a high craving for blood,” Thistle muttered quietly, watching the road. “All the females found where menstruating at their time of death and drained dry.”

“...I’ve seen Turneds like that, one whiff of blood and they can’t control themselves,” Guy said quietly. “For some it was a power overdose, others just snapped under the mental stress of having to bite into another human being.”

“I can’t say for sure what case this one will be,” he frowned, the trees shooting past.

“There are also Turneds who were messed up even before they turned and it just made their issues worse,” Guy sighed.

“Seen plenty of those,” he grunted. “Like Rose has said, vampirism takes a human’s worst nature and impulses and tenfolds it.”

“I’ve had to _work_ with plenty of those,” Guy groaned. “Training to be a Royal Guard means you meet a lot of other servants and let me tell you, it’s _not_ fucking fun to hang around the crazies.”

Thistle frowned, nodding. “Not all the Hunters are sane themselves, some don’t mentally make it through long term use of the blood pills. Their insanity is...” he grimaced. “Cruel and savage, sadistic.”

“So I’ve heard,” Guy grimaced. “I know a few who think that’s… entertaining.”

Thistle said nothing, frowning deeply before snorting with derision. “Might fucking happen to me someday, knowing my shit luck.”

“Let’s hope not anytime soon,” Guy glanced at him.

“I doubt it, I’m as stubborn as a mule, I won't let my sanity go that easily,” he chuckled to himself before falling silent with a groan. “But you never know, I don’t exactly take the recommended dosage.”

Guy glanced at him with sympathy, not knowing what to say, really.

“...Are those pills addicting for Hunters?” he asked after a few moments, curious.

Thistle frowned, grimacing. “To be honest, no and yes. Usually it’s addicting to those who have gone insane because they want to feel, no, _be_ vampires. But that's not always the case, we usually do not have a lot of cases with addiction because the amounts prescribed to each Hunter is monitored.”

“Yet… you still take more than you should?”

Thistle sighed, finally looking at Guy. He met his eyes for a moment before looking at the road again. “I’m going to level with you, can you guess why I’m addicted to them?”

“Is it because… didn’t you mention something before about taking one at six?” Guy asked. “Because… you know.”

“When I’m on the pill, I feel… _alive_ ,” he said softly. “I don’t feel weak, or fragile, I feel… all this strength in my body and like it’s on a livewire and suddenly the world is sharp and real and so is everything I feel and see.”

“Careful, you’re starting to sound like you want to be a Turned,” Guy snorted.

Thistle narrowed his eyes, not knowing why he was still talking. “... I… like the smell of blood, I know I should be disgusted by it, but… it sometimes makes me hungry, it’s worse when I’m on the pill,” he admitted quietly.

Guy looked at him carefully, his mouth pinching in a grimace.

“That… is a little disturbing,” he admitted. “Even for me. Heaven forbid you actually get turned,” he said, actually worried.

Thistle groaned, his face darkening angrily and he pinched his mouth shut. What the fuck was he thinking opening up to him? Some notion that he might be understood? What an idiot. He glared out the windshield, his shoulders stiff as the car cabin fell silent.

“Sometimes I just can’t help feeling like I was _supposed_ to be a vampire,” he scowled, feeling defensive. “Not that I know why I’m even fucking telling you this, I’ve never even spoken about it with anyone.”

Guy grimaced, not quite knowing what to say yet wishing he could say something.

As Guy remained quiet, Thistle fumed only more, feeling stupid for sharing.

What _had_ he been thinking? He couldn’t know, it felt like he _hadn’t_ thought to begin with.

“I… won’t say I completely understand, but I do in a way,” Guy said. “I was born a vampire, so I’ve dealt with this nature my whole life. I’m constantly fighting my two impulses to shrink away from blood and yet drink it all. I suppose a human who was introduced to those feelings would find that perplexing and confusing, and… disturbing.”

Thistle sighed, leaning back into his seat. “Disturbing… that sounds about right.”

“Your family has been hunters for hundreds of generations, right?” Guy looked at him. “Maybe it’s just because of that. Taking the vampire blood after so many hundreds of generations has to have some sort of effect.”

Thistle was thoughtful, nodding after a moment. “I wouldn’t be surprised, it’s been proven that families with a longer Hunter lineage produce stronger heirs that are likelier to survive the training. Some research has proved that our genetic makeup has been permanently altered from regular humans.”

“And yours is the longest lineage, right? So it’s probably because of that. Hundreds of generations of Hunters gotta be a little hard on the genes,” he smirked. “Vampire tendencies is probably natural.”

“It’s the oldest alright, the very first and original,” he said.

“So I’ve heard. Your Hunter logo thing has an oak tree because of it, right?”

“That’s a matter of debate,” he corrected. “Which came first, that is. But the oak tree with antlers for branches is a symbol of Diana, goddess of the hunt. It’s also the symbol of my family, as the first to find the order back during the Roman Republic. If my family had the name before or after they started the order is what’s a bit unclear. In fact, our last name originally was Quercu, Latin for oak till it was changed centuries ago.”

Thistle balled up his right fist and pushed it towards Guy, showing him the thick ring on his middle finger with the Order’s crest embossed deep into the silver steel.

“The ‘V’ stands for _venator_ , ‘hunter’ in Latin.”

“Fancy,” Guy stared at the ring.

Thistle withdrew his hand, grabbing the steering wheel again and falling silent.

“My grandad changed our last name to Diamond,” Guy mentioned offhandedly. “Before it was Edwards, but my grandad was a bit eccentric. He started up the family business, running a diamond jewelry company, and I guess became so obsessed with them that he named us after them,” he chuckled. “I think I’ve inherited his love of sparkly diamonds.”

Thistle narrowed his eyes and glanced at Guy raising an eyebrow. “Edwards? That was the surname of an extinct Pureblood family.”

“Trust me, we’re not related to them,” Guy said, shaking his head. “My dad went through this whole process when I was ten trying to find out if we _were_ related to them, but couldn’t prove it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Thistle said quietly. “All Patrician vampires are diluted bloodlines of Purebloods that didn’t breed with other purebloods and mixed their lineages with some form of human blood.”

“Yeah, dude, you’re talking to a Patrician, I know that stuff,” Guy chuckled.

Thistle rolled his eyes. “You’re also a high class Patrician, right?”

“Highest of the high,” Guy groaned, tossing his head back into the seat.

“Then less human blood in your bloodline for sure,” he snorted. “No wonder you’re fast.”

Guy grinned.

“I’m one of the fastest, actually,” he said proudly.

Thistle smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Remember when I said I wanted to be as fast when I grew up?” he snickered.

“Yeah,” Guy snorted. “But there is no way on earth even you could keep up with me, trust me. My record is probably four hundred miles per hour.”

Thistle grinned. “If you’re that fast how did I block you the other day on the first try?”

“I was… out of it,” Guy said casually. “I was trying to find a way to get Poppy out of there and save my own skin at the same time.”

“Uh-huh, sure, _whatever_ you say,” Thistle drawled long and sarcastically, still grinning.

“What, you calling me a _liar?”_ Guy said dramatically, clutching his chest.

Thistle chortled. “Maybe I am.”

“Well then how about a race, then?” Guy challenged. “See who is actually faster, yeah?”

Thistle’s grin grew wider. “You know what my top speed is? Before it causes me a heart attack, that is?” he asked casually.

“What?” Guy asked, curious.

“Around four hundred and twenty.”

Guy stared.

“...Wh… no, no, that’s not—seriously?!” he gaped. “You?! _Four hundred and twenty?!”_

“Hey, Vampire without Fangs, remember?” he shrugged.

“But that shouldn’t even be physically possible, Hunter or not,” Guy cried.

“It isn’t, I can only keep it up for about four or five seconds before I start to internally bleed as my muscles rip apart and my heart starts giving out.”

“Oh… well then, what’s your average speed, then?”

“Mm, around three thirty to three fifty?” he questioned, squinting his eyes.

“...Same,” Guy grumbled, sinking into his seat.

“Problem is, speed uses up the little bit of blood in the pills fastest,” he sighed. “So unless I have to, I keep to speeds a little over the average Hunter.”

Guy nodded, understanding.

“...I still can’t believe you can run that fast, I’m not believing it till I see it,” Guy complained.

Thistle chuckled, shrugging. “Alright, whatever you like. I’ll race you,” he grinned, looking excited.

“Awesome,” Guy grinned back. “The ultimate battle, Hunter versus Vampire in an epic showdown of who is faster. Can’t wait!”

Thistle chortled and rolled his eyes as Guy said it like it was some kind of sport event.

“Now, strength, that’s a different story.”

“I’m not the strongest vampire out there, that’s for certain. I’m lean and fast, but when it comes to raw power…” Guy tried to flex his muscles but it did little to actually show through his shirt. “Yeah, nope,” he snorted.

Thistle looked at his own biceps in comparison, snorting. “Alright, no strength contests.”

“I’d rather not bite off more than I can chew for that one,” Guy grinned.

“My muscles would be hard to chew,” he agreed cheekily, holding down a snicker.

“Not would be, they _are_ hard to chew,” Guy affirmed.

Thistle fell short of his laugh, frowning and glanced at him. “What are you saying? My wrist was tough and stringy or some shit?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Guy snickered.

Thistle narrowed his eyes, grunting and rolling his eyes. “Well, sorry I’m not to your palate, your _lordship_ ,” he said sarcastically.

“Hey, man, I’m just kidding! Geez, so _sensitive,”_ he drawled.

A smile cracked across Thistle’s lips. “So easy to tease.”

“Yes, you are indeed too easy to tease,” Guy shot back at him.

Thistle rolled his eyes, shaking his head, trying to fight a bigger smile and failing and somehow… he didn’t care. “Drama queen.”

“Now _that_ is a fact I will not deny,” Guy said thoughtfully.

Thistle’s smile stayed as the drive down south continued, the air in the car cabin a great deal more relaxed than when it had started off. Silence falling easily again but not strained.

“So,” Guy said after a few moments. “Got any music you like to listen to or are you the silent type of driver?”

“Silent type,” he confirmed with a nod.

“Ah, figured,” Guy nodded.

Thistle reached over and pressed a panel on the dashboard, a whirring sound followed and a screen rolled out and lit up. A menu illuminating several options, including radio, uPod, movies, satellite, and more…

“Pick what you like,” he offered.

“...Dude, I think I’m in love with your car,” Guy stared. “Like seriously, if it goes missing one day, it’s because of me.”

“I will hunt you down without mercy,” Thistle said seriously.

“I know,” Guy laughed as he leaned forward to toggle with the touch buttons. “But it would be worth it.”

Thistle snorted loudly, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.

 


	16. Hunting for Truth

 

It was drizzling, of course it was. Why wouldn't it be? At least it was light and it fell off Thistle’s full body armor, completely repelled. He hated the helmet, able to hear the water dancing on his skull and echoing in through the earpieces. His cloak billowing out behind him as they walked across a rooftop.

Puddles splashing among their feet.

Guy had found an umbrella in the glove compartment and was holding it over his head, casually walking in front of him with his arm swinging.

Thistle lifted the face plate, taking in the smell of the moist air and glowering. His eyes flashing a radiant blue as he paused over the edge of the rooftop, glaring down into a dark alley. He could smell the faint stench of death and blood, old.

One of the most recent murder sights.

“I think I’ve got something,” Guy narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flared. “I might have a trail… You smell it, too?”

“Traces of blood, decay, and… the vampire,” he nodded, stepping back from the ledge.

“This rain isn’t helping any,” Guy grimaced.

“It’s not,” he grumbled in agreement, turning eastward where the smell seemed to continue on the faint breeze.

Thistle walked towards the edge of the building, before pushing off and launching himself in the air, rain pelting against him. He landed on the next rooftop easily, striding forward in the direction of the trail.

Guy landed next to him and immediately started sniggering as he swung his umbrella forward.

“I gotta admit, I felt kinda like Mary Poppins just then,” he snickered.

Thistle actually stopped, looking back and his eyes were wide with the unexpected comment in his serious mood. He snorted, shaking his head and facing forward again.

“You do have the right air for it,” he added.

“Exactly!” Guy said, strolling after him. His eyes regained their seriousness however as he took in another deep breath of air. “Definitely fresher,” he murmured.

“Odd, this scent is too close to the last killing,” Thistle mused as he smelled a fresher scent too through the rain. “This bastard isn’t even trying to be cautious…”

“Wait—” Guy’s eyes widened as he leaned over the side of the roof to another alleyway. “I smell another vampire. Female.”

Thistle paused, sniffing the air again and approaching Guy, taking a deep breath.

“She… isn’t a Turned. The male smells Turned.”

“No, she smells… hmm,” he frowned, squinting his eyes. “I’m going to say a very, very weak Patrician… or possibly a common.”

Thistle took another deep breath, sniffing carefully as he stared down. “Hmm… I’m not catching much human off her, probably the first option which is… strange. What would she be doing here?” he muttered leaning back as he thought of several scenarios.

“No idea,” Guy grunted. “My first thought is that she’s this rogue’s Creator.”

Thistle grimaced, narrowing his eyes. He turned his head, catching a new scent on the wind that made his stomach churn.

“Blood.”

He shot forward, launching off the roof and deeper into the city, scaling and vaulting with practice and ease and out of sight.

Guy immediately put away the umbrella and launched after him, following and keeping up with him easily.

Thistle wasn’t going particularly fast, taking in the air and scents as he ran. But his heart rate picked up slightly nonetheless with the exertion.

They bolted across the rooftops for several minutes before landing on a four story building, an apartment complex of old red bricks. Thistle skidded to a halt, water splashing under his boots, the scent stronger, fresh even through the quiet downpour.

“Damn,” Guy hissed, his eyes flaring red for a moment and looking sick. “I can already smell it, we’re too late.”

Thistle shot forward with more speed, stopping on the edge of the roof and his blue eyes glowed as he looked down into the dark alley behind the apartments. Movement caught his attention by the large green dumpster.

His eyes narrowed, nothing of the sight new to him.

A brunette laid among the cracked cement, clothes completely ripped off her naked and torn form. Cuts slashed across her skin from nails, her hair long hair splayed into the puddles dyed a deep crimson. Her brown eyes glassy as she stared blankly at the sky.

A redheaded man hunched over her, still pleasuring himself with her corpse as his fangs stayed deeply sunk in her neck, lost in his feeding.

Guy was at Thistle’s side and immediately paled at the sight, looking away as he forced down a hiss. His fangs were bared.

A black gloved hand was immediately in front of Guy’s face before he could even turn his head fully, blocking his line of sight completely from the scene below.

“Don’t look,” Thistle whispered quietly so his voice was not carried. “I’ll take care of this.”

Guy immediately opened his mouth to protest but Thistle was already launching himself off the roof.

The cloak billowed out behind him, a hand yanking down his face plate. He pulled out no weapon, landing in the alleyway not twenty feet from the feeding creature. The water echoing loudly against the trash can with clatters, the splash of his boot merging with the symphony.

But the vampire detected his presence, stiffening and ripping his bloody mouth from the neck of the dead woman. He looked up, his red eyes going wide as he saw the black cloaked figure wearing a mask with green lenses glaring down on him through the rain.

The man shot up, hissing fearfully and angrily. A savage insane look in its eyes as it bared its teeth and took a step back.

Guy suddenly landed on the other end of the alleyway, blocking the vampire’s escape. He hissed, his eyes flashing red as he bared his sharp teeth. None of his carefree or happiness present, only the intimidating expression of a vampire.

Guy was extremely frightening when he wanted to be, Thistle realized.

The vampire froze, staring at Guy in shock then back at Thistle, looking confused and now rattled.

Thistle shot forward, and the vampire screeched, launching forward with jaws wide.

However, Thistle had kicked off with more than his average speed. His knees smashing into the man’s stomach, making him keel over with a pained gasp.

Heavy hands suddenly landed on the man’s neck and with one vicious twist the sounds of bones snapping rang in the air with the rainwater from the gutters.

The vampire collapsed, and moments later the body crumbled away to ash.

Thistle grimaced, that hadn’t even been a challenge. More like killing for sport and he scowled at that. He stepped towards the corpse half hidden behind the giant trash bin, eyeing it carefully.

Guy’s eyes suddenly widened as he saw another figure in the alleyway, on the other end way behind Thistle.

 _“NO!”_ a female’s voice screeched in fury, her long hair drenched over her face and glowing red eyes.

Thistle whirled around, yanking out his pistol with one jerk.

The woman was fast however, shooting across the alley in the blink of an eye.

Guy was already speeding towards the female vampire and roundhouse kicked her into a brick wall, causing dust and bits of brick to fly into the air as she crashed into it. She growled, stunned before launching to her feet, swaying slightly.

Guy snarled, his fists bared.

She howled, her hands crushing through the bricks behind her as she flung the debris and dust towards Guy.

 _“You killed my mate!”_ she screeched. _“TRAITOR!”_

Thistle held his gun up cautiously, she was loud and his silencer could only do so much with windows above his head...

Guy easily dove the thrown missiles and advanced in the blink of an eye, kicking at her throat and causing her to gag and choke.

Suddenly his limbs were a blur as he pummeled into the older woman, his eyes red, and suddenly with one loud _SNAP!_ The woman became a puff of ash. Guy stilled, his fangs still bared but the red glow had vanished from his eyes.

Thistle lowered his gun, still watching, his eyes having caught every detail. Even how Guy had snapped the woman’s neck in the end.

Guy turned back to Thistle, looking a little meek.

“...Sorry you had to see that,” he mumbled. “But you’ve probably seen worse, anyway.”

“A lot worse, if you’ve heard the stories,” his altered voice confirmed through the mask.

Guy nodded and kicked at the ash at his feet, slowly turning into mud in the rain. He backed away, walking towards Thistle.

“Well… looks like we’re done, here, I guess,” Guy sighed.

Thistle raised his hand, making Guy halt.

“Just wait at the end of the alley, you don’t need to look at this.”

Guy stared at him for a moment, surprised at how considerate Thistle was being for him. He smiled a bit, nodding.

“Okay, yeah,” he agreed, turning back around.

The black masked figured nodded, completely blocking his view of the corpse and waited for Guy to move far enough away before turning back to it.

Thistle was grimacing behind the mask, kneeling down and looking into the young girl's eyes. He looked at the neck, and yanked out a small flask from his belt.

He untwisted the cap, pouring a solution of preserved venom over the bite marks and watching them vanish. He glanced with pity to her unseeing eyes but he knew he would not touch the scene. He could smell death, but no burning… Why would she even want to come back to life to this reality anyways?

With a sigh, Thistle stood up, and pulled out his phone to report the completion and snap a few gruesome photos to send to the Order. He was done with a minute, heading away from the scene and towards Guy deeper in the shadowy parts of the alley where the gutters muttered loudly. Water spilling on the concrete floor loudly and rushed around their feet.

“Is it good now?” Guy asked, looking up from his phone. “Just texted my Master that it’s taken care of.”

“I just sent my report in,” he confirmed, his voice still modulated through the helmet’s hardware. Guy had to admit it was a bit disconcerting, uncomfortable.

“Uh… say, you wanna get breakfast or something?” Guy asked. “I’ll pay.”

Thistle froze, pulling the face plate up and staring at Guy confused. An eyebrow raised as he tried to figure out this offer.

“You want to eat, after _that?_ ” he questioned perplexed.

“Or not, if you’re that against it,” Guy grumbled, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “Forget I asked. Just, y’know, I figured since your birthday was the day before yesterday, I could… you know, never mind.”

Thistle blinked, still smelling the blood and he tried not to grimace as his stomach boiled hungrily.

“My… birthday?” he suddenly snorted, surprised.

“Y—yeah, I mean I kinda wanna do something, I thought offering breakfast would be a nice thing,” Guy shrugged, still looking at his feet.

Thistle stared, caught off guard.

Guy… wanted to celebrate his birthday?

It’s not like Thistle celebrated it or Rose shoved something on him every year whether he wanted it or not. But… for some reason he felt warmth bloom in his chest at the offer, finding himself smiling slowly.

“I don’t usually celebrate my birthday, but… I’d like that, breakfast,” he nodded once, his smile soft as he looked at his friend.

Guy immediately brightened and grinned.

“Good! Good, uh, there was an iHop nearby—if you want, or we could try to find a Cracker Barrel or something,” Guy said, scratching the back of his head.

Thistle snorted, still smiling. “Going to get yourself tea, coffee, or something made of chocolate?”

“I’m actually really in the mood for chocolate pancakes,” Guy smirked. “Plus chocolate… y’know, helps me.”

Thistle looked at him surprised. “You can tolerate the taste of the flour and what not used to make the pancakes?”

“Yeah, I can,” Guy grinned a little proud. “It’s actually really good to me.”

“Huh, well I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he chuckled. “I remember how you scarfed down that cake, but that had enough chocolate in it to outbalance everything else.”

“Well that was also a completely chocolate cake, we vampires also eat chocolate muffins or chocolate cookies,” Guy said offhandedly.

“I know,” Thistle smirked. “It’s usually all I _can_ eat while on pills, other than rare steak,” he snickered as they vaulted towards the roofs without so much as a signal. They simply knew to start moving without asking the other, in synchronization.

“Oh, will that be an issue?” Guy asked, his feet landing on the concrete of the flat roof of the building. “You being on the pill?”

“I’ll eat chocolate pancakes, too,” he simpered with a shrug. “Chocolate is a big weakness for us Oaks,” he chuckled, thinking of his brother as a child.

“For me, too,” Guy groaned. “I love chocolate.”

“Same. But let's head to the truck first so I can take my armor off, we can drive there afterwards.”

“Sounds good,” Guy grinned. “Oh, hey, how much time do you think it’ll take before you’ll trust me enough to drive your Terradyne Gurkha?”

“Never,” he grinned.

“...Awh, man,” Guy whined.

“I’m kidding,” Thistle chortled. “You can drive us the way back to Trollton, straight roads shouldn’t be a problem for you,” he teased.

Guy immediately brightened up excitedly, his teeth flashing and Thistle could have sworn he saw him skip a little.

 _“Yeeeeeesss!”_ he cried, pumping his fists into the air.

Thistle rolled his eyes, holding down a laugh.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“How scandalous it would be should your Hunter Order find out you’re eating breakfast with a vampire,” Guy snorted as he sipped his mug of coffee, sitting in a booth facing Thistle. 

“Scandalous?” he snorted back. “They’d probably retire me permanently, and I don't mean a nice retirement fund. I mean my ass in the ground, my dad would probably do it.”

“Same,” Guy groaned. “But what the hell do I care anymore? I was never that great of a vampire in the first place,” he snorted, although his eyes held little mirth.

Thistle paused, watching carefully as he held his cup of coffee between his own hands.

“What do you mean exactly? Other than the hemophobia and you making friends with a human at six, I mean,” he scoffed.

“That’s just it… it's the friends I make,” Guy said softly. “I love my friends so much, they mean the world to me… it hurts my heart to take from them without asking, which is why I usually go out of town to feed now,” he said. “And vampires have this horrible hierarchy thing, looking down on anyone that isn’t a vampire, but… people like Biggie, Suki… I couldn’t imagine my life without them. I guess that’s why I’m so odd. I’m… more suited for the human life,” he shrugged. “Hell, I wish I _was_ human.”

Thistle frowned, looking down at his cup. “It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be human… then again, I’m not the best example of that,” he sighed. He looked up grimacing. “You go back to feed off blood-slaves? Do you honestly think that’s better?” he asked quietly.

“...No,” Guy murmured. “I don’t know what else to do, though. I can’t reveal myself to my friends, apart from the ones who already know, and I can’t feed off the ones who know every week otherwise they’ll collapse.” His eyes fell and he gripped his cup tighter. “I wish I had a different alternative.”

“I know blood bags are not the same to many born vampires that grew up feeding off living people, but it is an alternative,” Thistle pointed out.

Guy sighed, biting his lip.

“I could try to feed off those,” he mused thoughtfully. “They’re just… messy.”

Thistle grimaced, thinking carefully as he recalled the incident back at the base. An idea suddenly crossing his mind, some part of him reluctant, saying it was a bad idea to mention… he sighed, deciding to cross the line anyways and hope for the best.

“You can feed off me when you need to and I’m not on a pill,” he suddenly offered. “I’m used to getting transfusions anyways.”

Guy looked at him in blatant surprise, but then shook his head, uncertainty in his eyes.

“No, your brother will need your blood more than me. Offer it to him,” he said firmly.

Thistle scowled, eyeing him. “My brother prefers blood bags.”

Guy sighed, biting his lip as he tapped his fingers on the table.

“Is it… because of the past?” Thistle pressed quietly, gently.

“I… I won’t lie it probably won’t be a nice reminder but…” Guy shook his head.

“I’m sorry I offered in the first place, then,” he sighed, looking away annoyed with himself for once that he could be so tactless. “That was insensitive of me.”

“No, no,” Guy looked up. “I was just surprised but… I… I actually wouldn’t mind if… you did that,” he muttered, surprising even himself with his answer.

Thistle stared surprised, but nodded, suddenly trying to smile. “At least you didn’t reject me because I taste bad,” he snorted.

“No, actually you taste like chicken,” Guy grinned teasingly.

Thistle groaned, throwing his head back muttering to himself under his breath. “Fucking great, _chicken_. I don’t even eat chicken that often! You got to be pulling my leg.”

“I am, I just said that because of your reactions,” Guy snickered. “I don’t eat chicken at all.”

Thistle scowled, glaring at him before a small smile of mischief took him. “That was _fowl_ of you, Guy.”

Guy snorted into his coffee, almost spilling it as he set it down quickly, trying to stifle his strong giggles.

“That was bad, you really _quack_ me up,” Guy grinned.

Thistle groaned, burying his face in his hand and shaking his head. “Okay, just _stop_ , if I keep laughing I’m going to probably tip over and die.”

“Hey, you instigated that one!” Guy cried in defense.

“You started it with the chicken,” he retorted, pointing at him.

“You crossed the road by giving me one,” Guy grinned cheekily.

“ _Gah!_ ” Thistle cried, his head hitting the table as he turned a laugh into a deep groan of defeat.

“What? Not going to give me more? I thought _toucan_ play this game,” Guy simpered.

“Sorry, I’m fresh out of _egg_ -cellent puns,” Thistle deadpanned, looking up.

Guy threw back his head and laughed, leaning back into his cushioned seat.

“Looks like I’ve ruffled your feathers,” he sniggered.

“How many bird jokes do you _know?!_ ” he cried exasperated.

“Theo, Theo, Theo,” Guy sighed, shaking his head. “My brain contains a bottomless pit of puns. I will crack them left and right leaving no escape for those around me.”

“Sounds like I should just send you to the pun-itentiary already to get treated,” he grumbled, smirking.

“Why, am I _pun_ -ishing you too much?” Guy snickered.

Thistle groaned loudly, his head smacking the table again with a loud clatter, the silverware actually dancing a moment on the surface.

“Okay, man, don’t hurt yourself,” Guy chuckled, calming down a bit.

Thistle sighed, lifting his head and trying to look composed as he brushed his helmet hair a bit back and through his fingers.

The waitress walked up with two large platters, setting them on the table before them. A pair of chocolate stacked pancakes with chocolate syrup and whipped cream atop with chocolate shavings. A small plate of bacon placed next on the table.

“This looks amazing,” Guy moaned, already grabbing his silverware.

“Anything else I can get you handsome gentlemen?” she offered, smiling sweetly at them but her eyes strayed towards Thistle.

“Yes, can I get some more coffee please?” Guy asked, lifting up his mug.

“Of course!” she said instantly grabbing his cup. “Would you two like me to just bring you a kettle?”

“Please,” Guy nodded.

“And you?” she asked, looking directly and her voice dripping with sweetness.

Thistle was honestly trying not to scowl. “No thank you, just the coffee.”

“Alright then, just call me over if you need me, alright? I’m Liz.”

He nodded, holding back a sarcastic retort like her name was pinned to her over voluminous bust daring to tip her forward on her face.

Guy was oblivious to his glares, already digging into his pancakes and wolfing it down in large greedy bites after drenching it in more chocolate sauce.

Liz left with a quick shuffle of her feet and Thistle picked up a piece of bacon, ignoring the nuisance. He bit into the meat and its flavor was tolerable as he carefully chewed it.

Guy looked up and finally saw his brooding scowl and paused, raising an eyebrow.

“Everything okay?” he asked. “Is the bacon bad or something?”

“Hmm?” he looked up. “Oh, no it’s fine. Just, flirting chicks really grind my nerves.”

“Flirting… she was flirting?” Guy blinked, looking around to spot the waitress near the back. He glanced back at Thistle. “I thought she was just being super nice.”

“If she was, she wouldn’t be calling us both handsome and then keep looking at me, unless I have something on my face you aren’t telling me,” he retorted.

“You do, it’s called a nose,” Guy snorted.

Thistle glowered. “Har har.”

“Okay, point taken, I guess,” Guy said. “Want me to do something about it when she comes back and tries to flirt more?”

“What the heck can you do?” he frowned incredulously. “Hypnotize her in public?”

“No, doofus. I can be like ‘Yes, can you get my wonderful boyfriend another cup of coffee?’” he mimed asking an imaginary waitress.

Thistle froze, blinking for a moment and slowly color washed over his cheeks. “Uh… that’s kinda… a _wkward?_ ” he finally mumbled out.

Guy snorted into his coffee again.

“Okay, just a suggestion,” he shrugged before taking a casual sip.

“I mean, I uh, appreciate it,” he said carefully. “But you don’t need to do something uncomfortable like that.”

“I’m not uncomfortable with it, but if it’s uncomfortable for you then just say so,” Guy said, peering over his cup.

“Um, you’re my friend, I guess I don't know how to feel about it,” he admitted.

“Dude, it’s just for pretend,” Guy snorted.

“You’re not good at lying and usually I am frank to a fault,” he deflected.

“I’m not _that_ bad at lying, am I?” Guy frowned, suddenly worried as he thought back to that conversation with Creek.

“So far, just a little,” he chuckled. “Like when you get too flustered. Your voice pitches.”

“...Oh,” Guy frowned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Thistle glanced away, sighing. “Sorry, that’s just a weird subject for me. Believe it or not, I’ve never been in a real and serious relationship, with a girl or even a guy for that matter.”

“Are you bi, then?” Guy asked curiously.

Thistle shrugged with a scowl. “Something like that.”

“Mm, I’m demi myself, but it’s not like I have a real choice in the matter,” Guy said with a shrug.

Thistle was thoughtful for a moment. “You know, once your master is out of the question you can just up and leave, vanish,” he suggested.

Guy sighed heavily, nudging pancakes around with his fork.

“I… don’t know where I could go, though,” he said softly.

“The world is a big place,” Thistle smirked. “Go wherever you want, just don't make a coven with blood-slaves or you’ll find me knocking on your door one day.”

“Hell no!” Guy hissed, taken aback. “I’d rather drink out of blood bags.”

“Good,” Thistle snorted. “You’ll need a lot of them.”

“That’s the truth,” Guy muttered.

“I could help you,” Thistle suddenly offered, taking a bite of his pancakes. “I’m planning on hiding my brother, what’s another vampire?”

Guy smirked. “We could be neighbors,” he grinned.

“There goes the neighborhood,” Thistle groaned dramatically, leaning back and he took a big bite of his pancakes this time.

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Guy feigned mock offense and snorted.

“Two vampires and a Hunter? What do you _think_ it means?” he snorted out a laugh. “What next? The neighbors after that are a werewolf, a banshee, and a human or two just to balance the mix?”

“Is that so far fetched since I _do_ have two friends who are a werewolf and a banshee?” Guy snickered.

“That’s why I’m pointing it out,” he chuckled.

Guy chuckled. “Hey, living out in the wilderness with my friends, that actually doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Who said anything about the wilderness?” Thistle raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Well, wilderness, on the run, remote location, whatever,” Guy shrugged.

“Might as well go to my family’s private island,” he joked, rolling his eyes.

Guy chuckled, shaking his head. “What I would give for one of those,” he murmured. “Although blood would be hard to come by… then again, I could hunt sharks. I wonder what shark blood would taste like.”

“That’s the spirit,” Thistle said grinning. “I’d pay good money to see how that goes.”

“I bet you would,” Guy snickered. “Y’know, I had a cousin who told me he swore he saw a merman once.”

“They existed once, might still,” Thistle shrugged.

“Yeah,” Guy murmured.

“Here you go, boys!” Liz’s voice cut in as she walked up to their table, setting down the steel kettle.

 _‘Should I do it?’_ Guy mouthed to Thistle, an eyebrow quirking.

“Can I get you two anything else?” she asked but didn’t even let them open their mouths as she turned to Thistle with a big grin. “More bacon? Maybe some fresh napkins?”

Thistle tried not to glower, trying to think of how to reject her in frank manner that wasn’t overly rude.

“Yes, can you get my boyfriend some more napkins? He’s a messy eater,” Guy said casually, resting his elbows on the table.

Thistle’s eyebrows shot up and he sat straight, looking at Guy shocked and suddenly flustered.

“Oh—you two are—? Oh, yes, sure, right away!” she stuttered awkwardly looking at Guy, caught off guard. She quickly walked away, her cheeks red.

Guy glanced after her then looked back at Thistle, smirking broadly.

“You’re welcome,” he said cheerfully. “I’ve done that with Biggie a few times.”

Thistle’s startled expression melted and he glared slightly, glancing away and pressing his hand over his mouth as he felt heat rising to his face.

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” he replied with a muffled tone.

“If it bothers you too much I won’t do it again,” Guy’s smirk dropped as he looked at him seriously.

“Uh…” Thistle finally looked up, and opened his mouth but the words that tumbled out quietly were not the ones he was expecting. “It… doesn’t bother me.”

“You sure?”

Thistle swallowed, picking up his coffee and taking a sip, nodding once as he cleared his throat with the hot drink. Why did he suddenly feel so oddly flustered? Was it all the laughing?

That had to be it, _right…?_

Guy smirked and picked up his own drink, still quirking an eyebrow.

“Heh… y’know it’s funny,” he said softly, his eyes gaining some seriousness as he set his drink down. “I feel like we’re old friends just casually hanging out. Not… well, only having been reunited for a couple days.”

Color had washed out of Thistle’s face and he looked up frowning deeply. “Aren’t we?” he asked confused.

“You know what I mean, like as in known each other for years, kinda…. Agh, never mind,” Guy muttered, draining his cup and picking up the hot pitcher to pour himself some more.

Thistle nodded, his eyes half closing. “I know what you mean. Like it’s… natural to just get along, like we’ve known each other all our lives,” he murmured thoughtfully, looking down at his food.

“Yeah. Like with any other Hunter I would be acting way different but like with you… Maybe it’s because we knew each other as kids but like… when you think about it we didn’t even know each other for that _long_ as kids, either. It was only a week or so,” he frowned.

“Yet, we were inseparable,” he said, sounding more like a question as he carefully looked up at Guy.

“Yeah,” Guy smiled. “Just funny.”

“Ironic,” he said with complete agreement. “I’m not this casual with any of my friends, not that I have many to begin with, just Rose and Carter.” He frowned, narrowing his eyes and looking out to the near empty diner. “In fact, Rose pointed out to me this morning that she hasn't heard me laugh so freely since I _was_ a kid.”

“Well I’ve been told I have a strong positive vibe about me that loosens icy auras,” Guy grinned.

Thistle smirked, rolling his eyes. “So does Poppy, but…” he paused, thinking on that for a moment.

“But what?” Guy prompted, shoveling his face with more pancakes.

Thistle shrugged. “You don’t see me laughing.”

“I’ve seen you laughing. Well, chuckling I guess, but they’re the same.”

“Nothing major,” he insisted. “Laughing is very different from just a weak chuckle, it doesn’t… warm you up inside,” he explained with a shrug as he took a thoughtful bite of bacon.

Guy hummed as he chewed, sliding pieces of pancake around on his plate.

“Well, I could see why you would be in a better mood and all,” he said after a moment. “Finding your long lost brother, your long lost best friend. I’d be laughing the heck out of my guts, too,” he smirked.

“Maybe, yeah,” Thistle muttered with a faint nod. He didn’t feel those were reasons to laugh though, smile, maybe.

“I’m thinking it’s more than just a maybe,” Guy grinned.

Thistle’s eyes narrowed as he thought of something however and fiddled with his fork, staring at his plate.

“So when we’re done here, we’ll head back to your base to get these….?” Guy tapped his temple. “Right?”

“Pill will have depleted from my system too much in four hours,” Thistle grimaced. “And I already took two pills today.”

Guy frowned deeply, clenching his fists.

“We can’t keep putting this off,” he growled. “Look at them in the car, then.”

“You’re in a rush,” Thistle commented with a nod. “But, yeah, alright.”

“You would be too, if you knew the things I knew,” Guy muttered.

“You’ll probably still have to relay a lot of it vocally, after I break the commands, absorbing it all myself might be too much,” he grimaced.

“That won’t be an issue,” Guy nodded. “I just need the commands broken.”

Thistle nodded, seriously, suddenly eating his food a little more quickly. Guy did, too, stuffing his mouth with the pancakes till his plate was clean, downing it with the rest of his coffee. He pulled out his phone as he waited for Thistle to finish, only having a few morsels left on his plate.

Guy glanced around for the waitress, looking for their check.

She appeared in a rush as if on signal, putting down napkins and the check while holding a full tray, rushing off again.

Guy snorted and picked up the check, digging into his pocket for his wallet.

Thistle sighed as he finished, taking the last sip of his coffee. “Thanks,” he grunted.

“No problem, man,” Guy waved his hand as he set his credit card on the check for the waitress to pick up. “My treat. Kinda works that I treated you to something chocolaty compared to the last time we met when you treated _me_ to something chocolaty,” he chuckled, feeling… a small wave of relief that he could look back on those memories with fondness.

Thistle smirked at that but his smile fell as he eyed the card. “No one tracks your accounts, right? Like Creek?”

“No one,” Guy shook his head. “If they did, all they would see is that I spend a little too much money on glitter products.”

Thistle grunted, nodding once as he set down the empty mug.

Guy sighed as he leaned back into his seat, and he squinted even more with another thought.

“Will it be difficult for you to just disappear?” he asked. “I mean.. You’re _Thistle Oak._ People will be… suspicious.”

Thistle was pulling out a small black bottle from his pocket, popping the cap and rolling a big red pill onto his palm.

“A little, I’d just fake my death,” he shrugged. “Why do you ask?” he asked, looking up as he tossed the capsule into his mouth.

“Just concerned, is all,” Guy muttered, eyeing the pill with a raised eyebrow. “Is that your third pill?”

“It is,” he nodded, after swallowing and his irises suddenly flashed with a bright glow that vanished an instant later.

“How many pills would be an overdose?” he asked with a frown.

“Three is already at the limit, five starts killing me,” he said evenly. “Four, causes extreme amounts of internal bleeding and pain but you can survive it. Five starts making the heart and organs fail and shut down.”

“I see.” Guy glanced at the black bottle that Thistle put away a moment later. “I’ve always found it ironic you Hunters despise everything about us vampires yet kill yourselves to make yourselves just as powerful. To kill us off, of course, but still, I find it ironic,” he said with a shrug.

“You have to be able to match the power of your target if not surpass it if you want to defeat it,” he shrugged. “But yeah, it’s a little ironic, but only vampire blood can give us the power we need to defeat other supernaturals.”

“What will you guys do when we all die off?” Guy smirked.

“We’ll die off too, eventually,” he shrugged.

“Other supernaturals won’t,” Guy said.

“The only truly threatening supernaturals usually can be killed more easily. Werewolfs on any day that isn’t the full moon and most things will go down with a bullet in the head.”

“But a werewolf _on_ the full moon,” Guy shuddered. “I encountered one once. Not fun.” Thistle looked at him surprised, even a bit impressed Guy had survived the encounter.

“I’ve killed several,” Thistle shrugged. “Two during a full moon with Rose’s help.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised, yet I still am,” Guy sighed. “You’re fucking scary, man.”

Thistle snorted with a dry smirk. “You haven’t even really seen me in action. Today was child’s play, it felt honestly unfair to send someone like me on that mission just because I live nearest. The vampire didn’t even have a prayer,” he said with a displeased frown.

“Do vampires usually pray to you?” Guy couldn’t help snorting.

Thistle rolled his eyes. “I usually end their lives before they can even make a final request,” he muttered, looking away a bit uncomfortably.

Guy grunted, glancing up as the waitress came back and took their check. His face was more solemn again as he rubbed his chin.

“Sorry, this got awkward,” Thistle sighed, tapping the table a bit agitated.

“It’s fine, I mean… we still are polar opposites,” Guy mentioned, waving his hand back and forth between the two of them.

“Does that really bother you?” he said quietly, looking up with cloudy eyes.

“Does it bother _you?”_ Guy quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Should it?”

“...I don’t know,” Guy said truthfully. “You’re a Hunter, I’m a Vampire…”

“I’m not like every Hunter.”

“No, I guess the point I’m trying to make is that things are gonna get awkward between us sometimes,” Guy shrugged. “You killing dozens of my kind and I’ve… well, I might have killed maybe a few Hunters,” he ducked his head with a grimace.

Thistle grimaced, sighing. “You were defending yourself and I was protecting people,” he shrugged. “What can you do? It’s in the past, no point on dwelling on it now.”

“Yeah,” Guy nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want things to get awkward,” he frowned, but looked defeated as he looked away with a sullen expression.

“Neither do I,” Guy said honestly. “I like you, you’re cool. Something I never thought I’d say,” he laughed.

Thistle looked up carefully, a small smile pulling on his lips. “I can say the same about you, Silver Bullet.”

Guy gaped, his eyes widening.

“Silver Bullet?” he echoed.

“Call it a code name, like Vampire Without Fangs,” he chortled.

 _“I love it!”_ Guy cried. “Holy shit that sounds fucking awesome! Silver Bullet! _Yes!”_

Thistle laughed, pressing his hand over his mouth as Guy got overexcited. “Well, I think it’s well deserved, you are _wicked_ fast like one.”

“I told you so,” Guy grinned cheekily.

“I could still block you though,” he chortled cockily, smirking just as widely.

“Oh great, not this again,” Guy groaned but he laughed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The truck pulled over the side of the road, an hour out of town. Thistle slowly parking it in the dead grass as Guy fidgeted almost anxiously in the passenger seat. The truck’s engine dying off as Thistle turned the ignition off, frowning.

Guy unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly turned to Thistle, taking a slow deep breath.

“Well, I’m ready when you’re ready,” he said firmly.

Thistle nodded gravely, unbuckling his belt and turning to face Guy with glowing blue eyes.

“Just stay as relaxed as possible, please.”

“Got it, Boss,” Guy nodded.

Thistle rolled his eyes, a faint smile almost making it to his lips before faltering.

He peered seriously into the dark blue depths of Guy’s eyes, his own eyes flaring to life with light. Their minds connected as Thistle dived in, exerting his full strength into the psyche connection. He was a powerful wave of force, surging through Guy’s mind.

Guy grimaced at the blunt force but relaxed as best he could. Hunters were always more forceful with their mind tricks, whereas vampires were like trickling water. He had never experienced it before from a Hunter, but he had heard of it. After all, it was very rare for a Hunter to get any amount of mental abilities.

Thistle sunk deep into the subconscious, finding barrier after barrier. A powerful force enveloping portions of thoughts and memories, exerting a powerful directive. He reached for one, stiffening in shock as power jolted back to him in reaction. His eyes narrowed, a little surprised by the strength…

His brow pinched, his eyes narrowing a little as he mentally rammed into the command, his mind clawing at the viel.

Guy winced painfully, immediately tensing at the mental contact.

“Relax,” Thistle hissed as the tension brought up natural barriers in Guy's mind trying to push him back.

“S—sorry,” Guy grimaced, trying his best to relax. “Felt like a sledgehammer.”

“It’s going to hurt, this Pureblood is fucking strong,” he growled.

“You have no idea,” Guy muttered but relaxed his shoulders, trying his best to lower his mental walls.

Thistle suddenly doubled the force, his eyes glowing harshly as a piercing force slammed into the barrier. Like glass, it cracked, weakening and shattering as he pressed his will into it to override the command. Pain shot into Thistle’s skull but he didn’t flinch, focusing on destroying the barrier.

The first one shattered, a shrieking wave of force slicing through the bond into his head and he gritted his teeth. Memories starting to flood, unrestrained thoughts.

Thistle shoved past them, heading for the next barrier. Overriding more commands with sheer force and willpower, ripping them down one at time.

Guy was clenching his teeth so hard he thought his jaw might crack as he felt something akin to a train barrel through his brain, and it took everything he had in him to not push back automatically. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he felt barriers fall down and made his ears ring horribly.

Thistle was in no better condition, his skull was throbbing and screaming with pain as he exerted too much force and concentration. Pushing his power to its very limits.

He suddenly hit a wall that was like ice, thunder racing into him as the pain was so sharp that tears budded in his eyes and he gasped. It felt… _different._

The power that floated off the barrier was nothing like he had ever felt in his life. It felt ancient and icy, power like nothing he had ever felt before from any vampire's mind.

Guy gritted his teeth, knowing that memories were hidden even from himself behind that wall.

Thistle was stubborn however, he still hadn’t blinked once in the minutes of the arduous activity and despite how much his eyes burned, the light grew harsher as he shoved past his own mental limits.

All his strength came down on the icy wall, shock lancing back at him as the power was repelled and shot back into his own skull.

Guy let out a loud yelp, clutching his head in extreme pain.

Thistle let out a sharp yell, his eyes closing and the link breaking with a snap.

He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth and feeling something hot and sticky quickly running down his mouth and chin from his nose. His head ringing and spinning as he slumped back and hit the door with a pained gasp.

“Are—are you okay?” Guy grimaced, squinting at Thistle as he held his head, a loud ringing noise still echoing in his skull.

Thistle dizzily pressed his hand over his face, trying to stop the blood as much as hide it.

The scent was palatable however, but it currently was all he could smell as it ran from some vein that had popped with the strain. He felt his mind was slipping into the dark, his vision fading out with black. His mind feeling feeble and lethargic.

Guy groaned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and held it out to Thistle with a trembling hand.

“So—rry,” Thistle croaked painfully, lifting up his shirt and pressing it hard into his face and ignoring the offered piece of cloth.

“Don’t worry about it,” Guy muttered, putting the handkerchief down and watching Thistle from the corner of his eye. “Should have warned you… there was no way you were going to crack that last one.”

He groaned, dizzy, his hand fumbling at his pocket as he pulled out the black bottle with a shaking grasp.

“Fi-i-igured that-t-t out a little late,” he groaned.

“Hey, dude, are you sure you want to take another pill?” Guy asked with a deep frown.

“I nee-e-ed blood,” he gasped. “My-my mind is breaking under the stress,” he coughed into his shirt, more blood splattering past his lips.

“Mine’s weaker than that concentrated stuff, why not take mine? It shouldn’t cause internal bleeding.”

“You mean st-t-tronger,” he corrected. Suddenly the bottle slipping out of his hands and the pills scattering with a clatter making him groan. He dizzily slumped into the seat. His mind felt like it was breaking in half and the pain was _too_ intense to even think straight.

Guy quickly dove for the pills for him, pressing a hand to Thistle’s chest to keep him from moving. He eyed Thistle carefully and uncertainty, clutching the pills in his fist.

He grimaced however and slipped the pills into the cupholder before grabbing Thistle’s knife from his belt and pressing it into his wrist, drawing a neat thin line that immediately swelled with dark, almost black blood. He pressed his wrist to Thistle’s mouth, shaking as he tried not to look at the blood.

“Swallow,” he said sternly, his eyes staring at his knees.

Thistle groaned, and he didn’t have the energy to complain as he pressed his mouth to the wound and quickly swallowed the mildly warm liquid. His body stiffened and he groaned loudly, his eyes screwing shut as shock ran through his system.

The taste was strong, yet his tongue was not complaining as he knew it should be. He could taste the raw power in the blood and it cascaded into his throat, swirling and making the acid boil in his stomach. His altered body immediately reacted, absorbing the blood with a vicious desire and starting to shoot power through his nerves and muscles, sparking a sudden shock wave of life into his veins. He could feel the regeneration already as he swallowed another mouthful.

The pain melted away in his mind, his thoughts growing clear and focused again within a few seconds.The bleeding in his nose drawing to a halt as the bursted vein healed and the pressure was relieved in his own skull. The ringing echoing into silence.

He gasped, pulling his mouth quickly away as he felt the addictive desire to keep drinking start to take over with a savage bloodthirsty rage.

“Done,” he said quickly, grimacing as he looked away.

Guy withdrew his wrist and licked it, feeling the wound seal up, his eyes squeezed shut tightly.

“Don’t open your eyes,” Thistle instructed as he grabbed Guy’s wrist and grabbed a water bottle in the drink holder, opening it. He poured a heavy amount of water onto the black shirt he removed from himself, wiping the skin clean of the smeared blood. Once he was done, he quickly rubbed his own face clean, looking into the rearview mirror until he was free of blood. “Okay, it’s gone.”

Guy slowly opened his eyes again, still wincing in pain as the light became even more sensitive for his eyes even with the sunglasses he wore.

“You good?” he asked him concerned.

Thistle was grimacing deeply, nodding, uncomfortable as he pressed his hand over his mouth. “Yeah, yeah… Thanks, I mean, thank you. The uh… damage was healed.”

“Good,” Guy nodded. “You don’t need a detox machine though, do you?

“N-n-no,” he shook his head, not able to meet Guy’s eyes as he stared at the steering wheel. He pressed a hand over his stomach, feeling the revolting desire of hunger and sickness all at the same time churning his guts.

_Fuck!_

It was not like he hadn’t drunk fresh vampire blood once during a fight out of need, but it had been weak.

This…

Guy’s blood had been _powerful._ Thistle could still feel the energy coursing through him with a vengeance and he felt like he could, no, that he _needed_ to run ten miles to spend the surge of strength and calm his body down.

And his mouth, his tongue… his body, was _craving more._

Was he fucking insane?! He might as well as be a damn fucking vampire! He was trying not to groan in despair and agitation, fighting to keep every damn muscle locked so he didn’t shake.

He just needed to _calm_ down.

“You okay?” Guy asked again, noticing his agitated look.

“No,” Thistle croaked, already reaching for the door handle and shoving the door open, more sunlight pouring in now that the tinted window was out of the way and his sensitive eyes also squinted with pain.

Guy frowned, shoving his own door open as he stumbled out of the car, squinting at Thistle in confusion.

But Thistle was already gone, the door left open and the seat empty.

Thistle was blazing through the forest, striding at nearly full speed as he tried to get the agitated energy out of his body. His blues flashing with constant light as his body burned with too much energy to spare than it could naturally contain. It didn’t hurt, he just had to _move._ Make the vampiric urges of bloodlust and violence calm down inside.

A large birch got in his way, but his arm slammed down into the bark. The screeching of shattering wood crying through the forest as the tree came toppling to the earth with a groan. Short lived pain raced through his skin but the splinters fell free as he healed almost instantly from the tiny cuts and friction burns.

Thistle kept running, panting with exhilaration, his heart racing and he felt utterly giddy.

Guy’s head immediately whipped towards the sound akin to an explosion and he shot off instantly, alert and on guard as he chased in the direction of the sound. He found the felled tree in a matter of moments and with it Thistle’s distinct sharp scent which he shot after, once he was done staring at the downed tree in shock.

 _Now I know why they always said to never let a Hunter take our blood straight from our veins,_ he thought to himself with a grimace, speeding after Thistle.

Thistle stopped at the edge of a ravine, staring down at a stream as he panted, smirking. His mind a lot clearer and calmer and his body… felt _wonderful._

He still had energy to spend but now it was at a controllable simmer and he chuckled to himself, looking around at the augmented world his human eyes could not appreciate on their own.

A silver blur suddenly skidded to a halt next to him, rocks tumbling over the edge of the ravine as Guy halted in his tracks.

“There you—what the fuck man?!” Guy cried, his eyes wide. “Did you seriously fucking knock down a tree back there?!”

“Sorry,” he chuckled, rolling his large bare shoulders. “It got in the way and I had to get the energy and violent urge out of me,” he shrugged.

“Sorry,” Guy grimaced, rubbing his neck.

“Not your fault,” he grinned, looking at Guy. “Drinking blood out of the tap is a lot safer and more potent than the pills. I just drank too much, so, sorry about that,” he chuckled embarrassed.

“It’s fine, man,” Guy said, though he wasn’t smiling as he glanced down at the stream.

Thistle’s expression fell in an instant. “What’s wrong?”

Guy bit his lip, squinting his eyes as he slowly opened his mouth. “Creek… is a Dracul…” he said slowly and then groaned with relief. “Fuck yes, I can _say_ shit now,” he rubbed his forehead and immediately turned to Thistle, determined.

Thistle narrowed his eyes, his mind suddenly reeling back to the earlier strain that had him in his current situation. Flashes of memories and thoughts slowly coming back to him in fragments.

“Poppy is in incredible danger,” Guy said to him. “Hell, _everyone_ is. She has something special in her blood that makes Creek stronger than _any_ fucking Dracul heir before him, that’s why he’s fucking targeting her, and that’s why he plans on making her his mate so he can get more than just _one_ kid out of her.”

Thistle was grimacing, his eyes narrowed. “Special blood… He doesn't let anyone touch her and why he expects you to guard her. He doesn't want it to be known…”

“Yeah, it… I don’t know much, just that she makes him stronger. Already she’s helped him unlocked several abilities buried inside him, like turning into a giant swarm of bats and traveling through the shadows themselves,” Guy said seriously.

“… shadows, shadow traveling...” Thistle eyes widened as an image not his own partially melted through his thoughts and he hissed. “Holy fuck, that sort of shit hasn’t existed since Dracula himself!”

“Now do you see why I’m all like not believing I’m gonna live through this?!” Guy hissed. “No matter _where_ I go Creek can just appear there and find me!”

Thistle’s eyes narrowed. “No, no… he has a limit. He needs to _know_ where he’s going and he…” he scratched his head and shook it. “It can only be used a limited amount of times and distance, I know that much is obvious, it’s too much power. He would have to feed a lot to use it more.”

“I know, I know that, but if he did ever find out where I was—,” Guy grimaced, not finishing the thought.

Thistle was standing straight, his thick arms crossed over his broad bare chest as he glared across the ravine.

“Your memories… I have scraps of them… Is he really as sadistic as I’m picking up?”

“...No… he’s…” Guy looked at his feet. “He’s worse.”

Thistle scowled. “And how exactly are we going to persuade the ever optimistic Poppy that her boyfriend is a sadistic psychopath and _not_ a good vampire like her best friend?”

“I…” Guy croaked and shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. She’s going to refuse to believe anything I say about him, she trusts him too much.”

“Fuck,” Thistle cursed. “And he’s gotten more powerful just by feeding off her regularly for the past two years?”

“Pretty much,” Guy said in a hoarse voice. “He needed time to gain power from her, that’s why we waited so long before he got into a relationship with her.”

“And kids… whatever she has in her blood he wants to combine into a child? I know heirs are important to your race, but they wouldn’t even be Purebloods. Patricians at best but… still _Draculs._ ”

“There’s… something about Poppy’s lineage that’s important,” Guy said slowly. “Her last name, Corona, it means something important.”

“But you don’t know what exactly,” he confirmed looking at him.

“No, he never told me,” Guy shook his head.

Thistle cursed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Corona, Corona… I’ve _heard_ that somewhere before, I swear it… Hmm…” he grimaced, looking back towards the truck. “I have to do some research, I need to tell Rose to run some tests on Poppy’s blood…”

 “Not even the Elders care about the whole Pureblood or keeping the Dracul line pure thing on this matter,” Guy went on. “They want this as much as Creek does. It’s…” he opened and closed his mouth, trying to speak and then grew confused. “Wait, what was I saying…?” he muttered.

Thistle looked at Guy confused, raising his eyebrows at the mention of the Elder Council that governed the vampire world. Filled with old powerful members of their race, Pureblood or Patrician that were elusive to find and kill.

“You were saying something about the Elders wanting this as much as Creek?”

“Oh—oh, oh, right, yeah, they want it as much as him because…” Guy’s eyes glazed over again and he grew confused once more. “...Fuck… what was I saying again?”

Thistle groaned. “What the fuck? It must be that damn last barrier I couldn’t crack.”

“Bar—barrier? We were talking about barriers?” Guy frowned.

“No, you were talking about the Elders and Creek wanting this and then you blanked out on me, _twice_ ,” he explained, exasperated.

“I did?” Guy blinked at him, frowning even deeper. “Oh. Sorry.”

“We’ll figure it out later,” he sighed. “Come on, let’s go. We have a lot to tell Rose and Poppy. We need to plan too if we want to stop Creek and kill him.”

“Yeah,” Guy muttered.

Thistle suddenly lightly shoved Guy, trying to lift the dark mood. “Race you back,” he laughed, suddenly vanishing into a blur.

Guy blinked before smirking challengingly and shot after him, speeding quickly until he caught up with the streaking figure.

“This isn’t even a race!” he cried haughtily, zooming ahead of Thistle with ease.

Thistle grinned, knowing enough blood was in him to risk pushing his body to its limit. His foot suddenly thundered down and he shot forward as he released all his strength and speed, the power surging through his muscles.

“HOLY SHIT, WAIT UP!” Guy cried as Thistle sped past him. He rammed his feet into the ground as hard as he could, slowly catching up to Thistle.

Thistle was counting the seconds, he hit five and his heart was thundering but he felt no internal ripping just yet and laughed. He saw the truck, skidding to a halt just a few feet away and wincing as direct sunlight hit his face. His heart hammering in his chest as he breathed in deeply, trying to slow it down before it got out of hand.

Guy dug his feet into the ground and skidded to a halt, too, his feet creating a small trench in the dirt and kicking up clouds of dust.

“WHOO!” Guy cried, jumping into the air in excitement. “HOLY _SHIT_ , YOU WEREN’T KIDDING YOU COULD RUN FAST!”

Thistle turned to him grinning, panting and sweat beading off his skin. “Told… ya,” he wheezed. “I think… your blood gave an extra kick,” he chortled.

“You okay man?” Guy asked, him, looking a bit concerned.

“Might have over… done it a smidge,” he chuckled sheepishly.

“Need more blood?” Guy smirked.

Thistle grimaced, shaking his head. “Oh no, heck no,” he coughed. “That’s enough encouraging my addiction for one day.” Honestly, he was surprised he was admitting to it, but he also knew he didn't want to risk draining Guy, or worse… going _mad_ himself _._

Guy still looked concerned but nodded.

“So… does that mean I get to drive then?” he asked hopefully, nodding to the car.

Thistle groaned, giving up as he waved to the open door. “Might as well.”

“YES!” Guy cried, jumping for the driver’s seat and hopping into it like a giddy child on Christmas.

Thistle laughed softly, shaking his head as he walked around to the other side. Maybe he was already mad.

 


	17. I Don't do Happy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old chapter, revised.

* * *

 

Two days had gone by. Two days and not a word from Branch.

Poppy had found this out by texting Rose that late Sunday morning, eating some Lucky Charms as a late morning snack. They had enabled a private cell tower receiver by the Hunter’s cabin apparently that stayed off unless someone was there using it as Rose had explained it to her, which was why she didn’t have signal at first before Thistle had enable it.

Poppy: _‘Have you heard from branch?’_ Poppy had texted to her.

Rose: _‘Good morning poppy. How are you? I’m great! Nice day right? Did you sleep well? Oh i did. NO. I HAVENT HEARD FROM BRANCH. THANKS FOR THE LOVE.’_

Obviously, Rose was in a bad mood today, as Poppy quickly typed her response.

Poppy: ‘I LOVE YOU ROSE I SWEAR BUT I THOUGHT IVE MADE THAT PERFECTLY EVIDENT ALREAD——WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO START OVER ill start over.

Poppy: GOOD MORNING my lovable ray of sunshine, HOW IS YOUR DAY? Are you feeling perky and alive? How’s your friend? Is he healing well?’

Rose: _‘...cut the crap poppy its too late. Nothing from branch yet and thistle was moping like a dying plant, shoulder healed and he went off on a mission this morning. Its ALL FUCKING annoying!’_

Poppy: ‘No its not, he just wants his bro back!!!!!!!!! Mission???’

Rose: _‘who ran out the window the second he could, yes i remember. Yeah, mission.’_

Poppy: ‘…………. He’s shy.’

Rose: _‘Poppy. For once. Shut up. =.=’_

Poppy: ‘ :’( ‘

Rose: _‘GUH. FINE. IM SORRY. Yes your ray of sunshine is having an okay day! How about you? Better?’_

Poppy: ‘I’m doing great!! :D Im gonna go to the bowling alley with my friends today, so thats gonna be fun!’ Oh… speaking of which…. Uh. what are you and Thistle gonna do about the um…. Moony Problem?’

Rose: _‘Your secret code could use some tuning.’_

Poppy: ‘And?’

Rose: _‘When do you want him to check it out? You know he might kidnap whoever it is and you wont ever see them again right?’_

Poppy: ‘…...oN SECOND THOUGHT STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS PLEASE.’

Rose: _‘Too late. See you later at the alley~ <3’_

Poppy: ‘NO WAIT STOP YOU CANT KIDNAP MY FRIENDS’

Poppy: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE’

Rose: _‘Im kidding poppy, but we will have to give whoever it is a collar. Just sayin.’_

Poppy: ‘…… oh. Wait, a collar?? Like a dog collar???????’

Rose: _‘…..suuuure, lets call it that.’_

Poppy: ‘…………………………………………………

Poppy: Do I WANT to know?’

Rose: _‘No. You really dont.’_

Poppy set down the phone and dug into the box, helping herself to another handful of cereal. 

Two days and they hadn’t heard from Branch. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t getting at least a little worried. Why hadn’t he called? Why hadn’t he at least contacted his brother, just to let him know he was okay?

Her phone buzzed again, but this time it was from Suki.

_‘You’re actually gonna meet us at the bowling alley, right? Not do any extra rock climbing shenanigans?’_

Poppy stared at the text, remembering what Guy had said about Suki being a banshee. She had done quite a bit of research into banshee's last night, figuring out and reasoning they weren’t extremely dangerous—Suki, like Guy, was good.

 _‘Oh for the love of pete, yes I’m coming!!’_ Poppy replied. Her friends hadn’t quite stopped teasing her for the… ‘miscommunication’ incident a couple days ago. But she knew it was only in jest and it wouldn’t be long till the joke died down.

While she was looking forward to bowling, she couldn’t help think about Branch.

Out there.

In the forest.

Alone.

Poppy felt determination surge through her.

If Branch wasn’t going to come to _them…_ then maybe _she_ would just have to go to _him._

* * *

 

 

Branch peered out the door to his bunker, quite cautiously. Evening had set over the forest and it was just dark enough that he didn’t have to squint to see. He climbed up the concrete steps and peered around.

The hunger still was quite satisfied for him, but he worried when it would return. He was used to feeling hungry all the time but now he was paranoid that it might strike again at any moment’s notice—now that he was in complete control of himself, he had no wish to go back to that… animalistic and primeval sense of state. How long would it be till he was hungry again? Till he thirsted for… well, blood.

 _I should probably ask Thistle,_ he thought. In fact he knew he probably _should_ ask his brother… but something kept him from pressing that button. From calling his brother. From…

Hell he didn’t know what was wrong with him! He just needed to be alone!

He sighed relieved as he noticed nothing was amiss outside, no new scents. Honestly he was worried his brother would have tracked him down by now but...he hadn’t. Somehow...it disappointed Branch as much as it relieved him?

Yeah he didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with him.

Would his life go back to normal?

After everything that had happened? Probably not.

Did he even want it to go back to normal?

Of that he wasn’t so sure of.

To clear his head he decided to return to his routine today, even if he didn’t feel the hunger and therefore the need to. He hadn’t checked his traps for two days, afraid of coming outside. Yet… Thistle could have called him… right? But he hadn’t. Thistle had promised him space and he had kept that promise so far.

So why was it that Branch found that irritating too?

With a sigh he decided to check his furthest traps first, northward, and he broke into a run. It was a lot easier to run now since he had trimmed the bottom of his new pants. Within an hour he was done inspecting them, finding nothing and all of them intact. He had learned long ago where to place his traps to avoid campers finding them.

He remember that one year officers has been scouring the forest after someone had found one of his traps too close to a camping area. He’d hidden in his bunker for three days straight, hoping they wouldn’t find him. When he was finally able to get out...he had been ravenous.

He headed southward now, traversing miles in minutes, the sun long gone in the sky.

Strangely he found his feet taking him to the trap where he had been caught.

He stopped more than ten minutes later and the scent of old dry blood made his throat tingle but nothing noteworthy, nothing that told him desperately to feed like three days ago…

Why did he come here first?

He looked around still finding the evidence of disturbed earth… of a struggle.

Something glinted in the weak light and caught his eye. He walked forward and bent down near the patch of earth that was red and dry.

His fingers moved aside the leaves and he picked up… a small bullet. Probably the same one that Rose had shot him with… and then had shot his brother. He could smell the stale scent of the poison on it, what was left of it that is.

_“...Not givin’ up today…  nothing getting in my way. No, no, you’ll not knock me over, I will get back up again!”_

Branch froze. Was that _singing_ he heard?

He dug the bullet into his jean pockets and lunged over to one of the tall trees, jumping up and grabbing the thick branches, hoisting himself up until he was high above the forest floor.

The singing grew louder and louder and Branch quickly recognized the voice. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the pink haired girl far in the distance, catching sight of her easily through the branches.

“ _Lookin’ up at a sunny sky, so shiny and blue and there’s a butterfly! Well, isn’t that a super fantastic sign? It’s gonna be a fantastic day,”_ Poppy sang, throwing her heart into her voice.

She grew closer and closer to the area with the traps until finally she was stepping into the small clearing. Her singing stopped as she looked around, eyeing the forest floor in the dim light of dusk.

 _What the heck is she doing here?_ Branch wondered idly, peering down at her like a curious animal. The wind picked up and her sweet scent hit his nose yet oddly… it didn’t smell as appealing as before? In fact it smelled a bit… repulsive?

Poppy looked up from the ground and observed the forest around her, her hands on her hips.

“Where could you be…?” he heard her mutter. She cupped her hands around her mouth and sucked in a deep breath.

_“BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCH!”_

Branch jumped and nearly fell out of the tree branch he was sitting on in surprise. The slip caused him to yelp and cling to the tree trunk, making the branches shudder and quake raining dry  leaves down, and also alert his presence to a certain pink haired girl below.

Poppy looked up in surprise, obviously not expecting to see him right above her, but she was grinning in an instant.

“Branch!” she cried. “My man! What’re you doing up there?”

Branch only looked down at her, squinting.

Was this girl insane??? Did she _not_ get the memo? He was _dangerous!_ Or had that not been obvious enough?

“Or you could just stay quiet, but I brought you something!” Poppy called up to him, taking off her backpack and digging through it. She plucked something out and held it over her head, holding it out to him. “I made it for ya!”

Branch sniffed. From what he could tell it was made from thick sheets of paper. What the heck was she trying to give him?!

“Uh… no thanks,” Branch called down. Why the heck was he talking to her again? Instead of running away?

Poppy immediately pouted.

“But I made it special! Come on, just look at it!” she persisted.

Branch rolled his eyes. He should just hop from tree branch to tree branch to get away. That's what he should do. Make it impossible for Poppy to follow him on the ground.

“Your brother misses you, you know!”

Well, shit. That got him to freeze.

Branch felt his chest tighten again and he looked back down at Poppy with a glare.

“You haven’t called him and he’s worried about you!”

“Then he should stop being such a wuss!” Branch snapped. Then he immediately regretted saying that but somehow, this girl was getting under his skin.

He grumbled to himself and began to descend the branches. He needed to show this girl to steer _clear_ of him or else. He was dangerous. A monster.

He landed on the forest floor and turned to face Poppy with what she could only describe as the most deadpan look someone had ever given her. She paid it no mind, though, as she held out the paper thing she’d been offering to him before.

“Here!” she said brightly. “Specially made!”

Branch made no move to take it.

“Listen, Poppy,” he growled, “I don’t know what you think of me right now, but you need to not… not be so damn _friendly_ towards me. Got it? I’m not that kid you used to know anymore, I’m a fucking _vampire,_ who _will_ suck your blood if given the chance.”

“No you won't,” Poppy said cheerfully. Branch blinked.

“‘Scuse me?”

“Well you’re not doing it right now, are you? Here I am, perfectly available, but… mmm nope, I don’t see you sucking my blood,” she checked herself over.

Branch stared at her like she was a nutcase. Was she… _serious_?

“I’m not _hungry_ right now,” Branch tried to explain. “But when I _do_ get hungry, I _don’t want you to be around me?”_

“Oh, calm down, Elsa, you’re gonna get wrinkles before you turn twenty,” Poppy grinned. Branch squinted, confused.

 _Who the hell is Elsa?_ he wondered.

“Also my blood is still pretty poisonous soooooo yeah, I don’t think you’ll be drinking my blood anytime soon, buddy,” she added.

Was that why she didn’t smell so appealing anymore? It… sort of made sense, he guessed?

“ _Please, Branch?_ ” Poppy held out the card to him again. “I just wanna… show you you’re not alone, okay? Just take this and… and… I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day. ‘Kay?”

Branch hesitated, glancing down at the thick card in Poppy’s hands. It was covered in different paper cutout shapes and designs, each one looking like… 

Were those _bats?_ Was she trying to be _funny?!_

“No, thanks,” he growled, turning and walking away.

“Fine, then I won’t leave you alone!” Poppy called, trotting after him.

“You won’t have a choice!” Branch called over his shoulder, and then took off with his speed.

“ _WELL I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO TALK TO ME LIKE A REGULAR HUMAN BEIIIIING!”_ Poppy yelled after him, her voice fading the further away he ran.

Like she was going to stay out in the woods all night, she couldn’t be _that_ crazy.

But her words hit a sour chord in Branch, making him clench his teeth.

 _‘Regular human being’... Well I’m NOT a ‘regular human being’, so you can say goodbye to THAT wish,_ his thoughts snapped.

But he still felt an incredible amount of guilt the further he ran from her. He ducked his head, growling to himself.

He slowed his pace to a walk, definitely not searching for the sounds of her voice. Which  was there. Singing.

 _I just wanna… show you you’re not alone,_ she’d said. Branch crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, irritated out of his wits.

Couldn’t he just be left alone? That's all he wanted right now. Alone time. Peace. Quiet. Time to think.

Only he didn’t know what the fuck _to_ think, not with his jumbled mess of emotions not knowing if he wanted to see his brother or didn’t want to see him.

That’s just what he was. A mess. A big… giant… _mess_ of a monster.

That his brother had told him he still would want in his life. Thistle was crazy too, that was his conclusion.

_“...get back up again…”_

Poppy’s singing was seriously getting annoying.

Branch wanted to move, to go back to his bunker and just get away from Poppy’s obnoxious singing, but some part of him was concerned she actually _was_ going to do what she promised and not leave until she gave him that card thing.

Branch wanted to do _anything_ except encourage her, but this was also the girl who had waved at him _as he was chained up and locked in a cage,_ then _hugged_ him the first chance she’d seen him free, and now was chasing after him in the woods wanting to give him a fucking _card._

 _She’s determined, I’ll give her that,_ he thought, irritated. _But she’s still absolutely out of her mind._

And it was because of this thought that he knew he had to at least keep an eye on her, to make sure she would go back home once she got tired enough.

 _If_ she would go back.

Or if she didn’t get eaten by mountain lions first.

Branch suppressed a heavy groan and pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on. How the fuck could he get this damn girl to shut up and go home?

Was walking her the only way? What if she persisted enough she found his bunker? Then how the hell would he _ever_ get rid of her?

…

She could bother him every day if she wanted.

_Fuck._

Like he was going to let that happen.

He turned around deciding in a split second and bolted back. Her singing easily leading him, he had to admit… she had a good voice, maybe under the right conditions it would have been soothing. But _not_ right now.

He was in front of her in a minute and she yelped in surprise.

“GEEZUS SPRINKLES AND ICE CREAM,” she flailed, jumping back as he suddenly reappeared.

Branch grimaced, his ears ringing. God, no, her voice was _definitely_ obnoxious.

“Give me the damn card and go away,” he snapped.

“But I have to make sure you look at it!” she said brightly, holding it out to him in a flash. “I wanna see your face!”

He scowled looking down at the stupid thing and grabbed it with a jerk. He lifted it up to his face seeing the stupid bats again and his frown was foul.

“There, I looked at it. Will you go now?”

Poppy snorted.

“You have to _open_ it, you silly,” she said, her hands on her hips.

“ _Ugh_.” Why was this girl so difficult to please? Couldn’t she just go?!

He glared at her and she glared back, not moving.

Finally, Branch groaned and lifted the card to his face and opened it.

The card inside suddenly popped up, figures artistically cut and made with detail sprang up and a little shrill voice sang out in a horrible recording of Poppy’s voice to go with big gaudy letters. “WELCOME BACK, BRANCH!!”

Then poof.

Glitter was raining on his face and he was petrified by shock.

This. Had. To. Be. A. Fucking. Joke.

The card lowered and his blue eyes stared at her with irritation and bewilderment.

The card fell out of his hand straight to the floor and his foot came down with crunch, swiveling back and forth churning it in the soil and leaves.

His hand came up to his face and rubbed off the glitter literally burning his eyes.

He turned up a cold venomous glare at the frozen girl.

“Go. Away.”

Poppy’s lower lip trembled just the slightest bit but she sucked in a deep breath and slowly crossed her arms. She swallowed.

“That was really rude,” she said evenly. “You could have just given it back and said ‘I didn’t like it.’”

“What did you expect?” he sneered. “The last manners I learned was when I was _fucking_ seven.”

“Well, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to start taking them again,” Poppy smiled. Devilishly. “Yeah, This is really clear to me on a number of levels, _you_ my friend will need a _lot_ of help readjusting back to society. And _I_ am going to help you.”

Branch snarled, gritting his teeth and he felt his eyes flash, his canines lengthening in his mouth.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Because I’m your friend, Branch. Even though we haven’t seen each other for years, I’m not gonna just wave it off as some ‘old childhood friendship’, I loved you then and I love you now. And the fact that you’re still here talking to me tells me you still kinda want to be friends, too.” She smiled sweetly at him.

Branch flinched, his mouth closing and his eyes returning to blue, though they still glowed in the dark as he stared at her. Every word hitting the wrong nerve.

“You’re insane,” he finally said frustrated.

Poppy shrugged. “I like to think of it as determined,” she said.

Funny. He had been thinking that earlier. But the insanity still applied.

He let out a long huff, trying to calm his anger but it did little good.

“We’re not friends, Poppy. I haven’t had any in twelve years,” he snapped. “Now will you please go away?”

“Ah, about that,” Poppy looked around her, “It’s gotten _reeeaaally_ dark… and I have no idea where the hell I am.”

Branch grunted annoyed. This girl was hopeless.

“Come on,” he growled out putting his hands in his pocket and starting to lead the way.

Poppy was quick to follow him and trotted alongside him. Smiling. Why the hell was she smiling?

“So there’s this one question I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she said. “Can you turn into a bat?”

“What?” he stopped and stared at her with a raised brow.

“Well, vampires in a lot of classic novels and movies can turn into bats. I was wondering if that was just a fiction thing or a real thing. Can you?”

He stared at her not sure if it was a joke or a serious question, for some reason he bit anyways. Some reason he didn’t understand. “No, not as far as I know. Why don’t you just ask the freaking Hunters? Obviously they know more than I do.”

“You mean your brother?” Poppy asked innocently. A little _too_ innocently.

Branch gritted his teeth and turned back around and kept walking, picking up the pace. He had to get rid of her as soon as possible before he snapped her neck for the wrong reasons.

“You know, what’s _with_ you?” Poppy asked, running to catch up with him. “You finally get reunited with your family after twelve years but then you ditch him like an hour later. And now you just crushed my card and—just what happened to the Branch I used to know, huh? The one that—that always said you could never have too much chocolate on peanut butter sandwiches and loved action movies and wanted to be Superman when he grew up?? Huh? Where did that kid go?”

Every word was like a nail she was hammering into his skull, he’d forgotten what it was like to have a headache. The last words did it.

He spun around on his heel his eyes flashing a blazing red.

“He fucking died and came back as a cold bloodsucking monster that couldn’t go back home! That’s what happened to him!” he spat.

Poppy didn’t even flinch.

“But that doesn’t mean that he’s gone,” she said tenderly. “He just… hasn’t had someone to love him for a long time. And it’s been so long that he doesn’t really remember how to love at all. I bet that’s why you’re not calling Thistle. You’re just scared.”

Branch winced surprised, his eyes turning blue again. This girl was driving him through a damn emotional rollercoaster. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he whispered turning away again, his shoulders tense as he walked.

“Or maybe I’m right,” Poppy called after him, following him at a distance of a few feet. “You should let us help you! Everyone deserves to be happy!”

“I don’t do happy,” he grumbled

“Branch, I know you have happiness inside you! You just need our help to find it.”

“Shut up,” he muttered quietly.

Branch felt his body shake as he bit his lip, refusing to talk further as they walked. He couldn’t believe it, but they walked in silence, his mind chewing over her words. Yet even her silence seemed to be defiant because her voice was rattling around in his skull.

“What should he do?” he finally whispered, almost so quietly if it wasn’t for the silence of the woods the words would never have been heard.

Poppy gingerly reached out and touched his arm, but he pulled away a moment later.

“He should try his best to reconnect to the family he has,” Poppy said. “And at his own pace. I’m sorry if I keep… being obnoxious, I know I am—I just want you to know that you still have a friend in me.”

Branch looked up at her for a moment, uncertain, almost desperate.

Branch sighed. “Isn’t that line from a damn movie we watched as kids?”

“That movie was a classic and you will respect it because it holds just as much truth for adults as well as for kids,” Poppy poked his shoulder playfully.

Branch snorted, a cynical smile tugging at his lips as he rolled his eyes and it fell away a moment later, leaving his brooding expression.

“...Can… Can I ask you just… _one_ more question?” Poppy asked hesitantly.

Branch scowled and looked at her again, not slowing down. “Do you _ever_ stop talking?” he growled.

“If you’ve been living out in the forest for twelve years without talking to anyone… where did you learn to _cuss_?” she asked, confused.

“Books,” he said simply.

“Geez, what kind of books were you _reading?!”_

Okay, _now_ she was getting too nosy.

“I also listened to people talk in town sometimes from the roofs,” he deflected. Poppy seemed satisfied with that answer and fell quiet again, skipping up till she was shoulder to shoulder with Branch and they were walking side by side.

He flashed an irritated look at her and decided to just ignore her. He wasn’t counting the time but it was an utter relief when the trees began to thin out and the edges of the forest became plain in sight.

He stopped at the edge and looked out to the field and the houses lined in the distance. He could bolt now, he got her this far.

“Well, there’s my home. Thank you, kind sir,” she smiled, turning to face him.

Branch gave her a confused look, frowning.

“It’s… it's what princesses say to their knights in shining armor. Come on, you know that, don’t you Mr. Book-Reader?”

“Pffft,” he let out a sharp laugh. “You need glasses more than Thistle does,” he finally sneerd.

“About what? That you need a haircut, cause that’s pretty obvious.”

Branch scowled making a sour scrunched up face.

Poppy gasped, squeezing her cheeks.

“Oooh, I forgot how much I _loved_ your angry face!” she squealed. “You get all scrunchy and _ggaaah_! I mean it was much cuter when you were a kid, but still _it’s the face!!”_

Branch immediately tried to relax his face but instead it warped with disgust now. Poppy snickered.

“You’re nuts. How many screws do you have loose, again?” Branch asked cynically.

“Lost count,” she smiled. She widened her arms. “Can I get a goodbye hug?”

Branch suddenly jumped backward, flying into a tree and his nails dug into the trunk with a loud crunch, holding him ten feet off the ground.

Poppy stared at him from where she stood, her eyes wide at the sudden reaction.

“Geez, you acted like I _electrocuted_ you or something,” she grumbled. “I was just gonna do a _tiny_ hug.”

“ _I don’t do hugs_ ,” he growled out.

“Fine, Mr. Overly-Dramatic. I won’t hug you. Now get down from there, you look ridiculous.”

“No,” he flat out refused, untrusting as he stared at her. Poppy sighed.

“ _Fine_ , fine, goodnight Branch!” She turned to walk back to the house, then turned back smiling. “See you tomorrow!” She added, before finally turning around and running back to her house.

Branch stared after her perplexed for a moment till her last words hit him. “Wait?! Wha—No!” he yelled after her. “Don’t come back!”

“TOO LATE, ALREADY GONNA DO IT!” Poppy called from the distance.

“YOU’RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED!” he screeched back.

“ _WORTH IT!”_

That left him completely speechless. She was as bad as Thistle, he had said something along the very same lines. Why was he surrounded by insane people?! The only sane one seemed to be the one that tried to shoot him!

He was left there completely flabbergasted and for some reason he was still holding onto the tree with his nails, watching the pink hair vanish in the distance till it was behind a door.

He blinked suddenly remembering where he was.

He let go and fell back to the forest floor with a thud and shot back into the woods without a glance back.

Then he stopped.

His feet betrayed him again.

He was staring down at the bloody obnoxious card she had made him.

Bending down he gingerly touched it like it was a dead animal. She had… put a lot of work into it, hadn’t she?

He groaned feeling like complete shit.

He picked it up and dusted it off, and closed it as best he could. Staring at it a moment longer he snorted and bolted back for his bunker. He was back home in minutes, sliding into the coolness of his underground home.

                The usual pathway led him to his room and he turned on the lights.

Looking at his desk his journal and a few books where there and the black walkie-talkie blatantly staring back at him. He set the card down flat on the table and decided he would fix it later. Reaching over he pause, hesitating, then grabbed the radio device.

Pulling it closer to his face he looked at it, conflicted.

His hand in his pocket felt something cold and hard. He pulled it out and stared at the scrunched up bullet. His… brother was okay… right?

With a frustrated sigh he plopped down on the bed and stared at the concrete ceiling, Poppy’s voice ringing around in his skull.

She was gone and he still had no peace or silence.

Was she right?

Was that it…?

He was afraid?

As he pulled up the walkie-talkie and stared at it the tight feeling returned to his chest.

Damnit. She was right.

Branch couldn’t hate her more than he did at that moment for being right.

* * *

 

It was late and Thistle was alone again, grimacing and his mood had considerably sunken since he had returned. Rose wasn’t even in the cabin, doing reconnaissance in the town and the news he had for was too delicate to impart over the phone.

He was practically itching under his skin, worrying especially about his brother and how he was going to take this news. It affected him too, hell, everyone in town once Guy had told him about the feast on the drive back.

It was chewing at his mind. So many problems piling up and he didn’t even have Guy around to talk with. For some reason he didn’t even feel comfortable enough to just pick up his phone and send him a text, worried he had enough of him for one day as it was.

So here was Thistle, alone, scouring research through his computer.

He sighed, hitting another dead end in the database and stood up, rubbing his sore neck and heading down stairs. He trudged towards the fridge, not feeling much hunger as his body still retained the vampire blood from earlier.

He opened the fridge and realized there was no damn beer even after he had asked Rose to get some about ten times if she went into town. Her exact words ringing in his head, that he didn’t need to go drown himself in alcohol to cope.

How the hell else did she want his mood to improve if she didn’t even let him drown it out?!

She was a damn nightmare.

Well… not that his mood had been really… suffering.

This made him pause, his mind flashing to Guy and the surprisingly good time they had together today. Even if it had started off as a hunting mission and the later trouble with the news once Thistle had broken the commands in Guy’s mind.

Why… did he get along so well with Guy like he didn’t with anyone else? It was just Guy’s natural positive charm, that was his conclusion.

But he had met many positive wisecracks that had never managed to make him laugh.

What was with Guy? How did he manage to pull it off…?

No answer came, only frustrating silence.

Gritting his teeth he slammed the fridge door shut and rubbed his right shoulder. The wound was long gone now, it wasn’t even sore. The fresh blood had really done some wonders to his body and that made him pause, frowning in contemplation as his thoughts wandered.

He had even gone out hunting to distract himself after he had come back from the trip. And not the kind of hunting he liked, but the kind where he went out and shot a deer.

Boring.

But it got them meat that was now stored in the meat coldbox in the cabin’s garage. He hadn’t hunted normal game for a while… the deer were just too slow to be a challenge to even hit with a rifle for him.

Groaning he looked through the cabinets and pulled out a bag of chips and munched on one, his face scrunching up with disgust.

He forgot he was on the blood and they tasted something akin to dirt. One of the downsides of the blood, they couldn’t eat food like vampires without it tasting worse than trash till it wore off. He could starve all day like that, and Thistle knew he had an enormous appetite.

He tossed the chips back into the cabinet.

He looked at the walkie-talkie on the coffee table absently.

Why hadn’t Branch called him back yet?

Had he fucked up that bad? Had he scared him away?

Thistle groaned and scratched his head wanting to scream! He hadn’t known it was him! If he had… _gah!_

He ripped out some black hair and sprinkled it in the air and watched it fall to the ground.

His phone suddenly buzzed and he almost jumped. _Rose?_

Pulling out the phone he stared at his screen confused wondering why she wasn’t back yet. He needed to talk with her. _Urgently._

The name he saw on his screen shocked him. _Poppy?_

Quickly he opened the message, concerned, was the girl alright? Rose would kill him if anything happened to her on his watch.

The mountain of text he saw made his heart seize and his breath catch for a moment.

Poppy: _‘Hey Thistle! Poppy here, just letting you know Branch is fine, I just talked to him!! (Kinda got myself lost in the woods and he found me ((DONT TELL ROSE!!!!!!!))) he walked me home it was so sweet! But I think the reason Branch hasn’t called u is that he’s just scared, you dont need to worry about him not wanting to be around you. I’m sure he’ll do it soon :D_ ’

His hand trembled as he finished reading it, sighing with utter relief. Should he text back…? He should probably text back…

His big fingers started to push the little touch keyboard and he quickly got frustrated and kept erasing extra letters till he was grinding his teeth. Why did this have to be so _damn hard!?_

‘Thanks for the update Shrimp. Are you okay? Branch okay? And I won’t tell Rose.’

Send. He sighed, relieved that texting nightmare was over. He prefered using his computer.

That is until his phone dinged again and his eyes widened. How was she _so_ fast?!

Poppy: _‘Branch is great! I gave him a homemade welcome back card and I think he liked it, but he didn’t have a place to put it lol. And I’m okay too! :D’_

Rose would be pissed beyond measure if she knew Poppy had been alone with Branch, and honestly Thistle was worried too, but Poppy was okay. So why yell over it? And at least Branch… had interacted with _someone?_ Thistle had to admit he felt a little put out and frowned, his gloomy mood returning. He hadn’t thought he had been _that_ bad. Had he pushed too hard, too fast? God, he felt an anxiety attack coming on and he hadn’t had one since before he was a teenager. It felt like shit.

‘Thanks Poppy. Stay safe don’t visit him after two more days. You may have poison but he might still try to bite you. He should be starting to get hungry around then.’ He paused, hesitating to send the message then hit send. She should know.

_‘Got it chief!’_

He raised an eyebrow. What was with everybody suddenly calling him by some name of authority? He had to admit, this instant it was amusing.

He smirked, glad she was listening to him. He tucked his phone away and got a cup, filling it with water and his smile fell as he watched the water flow.

How were they going to break this to Poppy?

Guy had been a bit impatient once they had arrived back to the location he had left his car, but Thistle had insisted it was too late. Which it had been, and he need to do some pressing research into the matter and speak with his partner before deciding what was the next step.

Reluctantly, Guy had agreed and they had split ways so they didn’t arrive together. Thistle taking a route around town towards the woods.

Thistle sighed, feeling lonely as he brought the cup to his lips and turned off the faucet.

At least water tasted like nothing. Almost. He could taste the chemicals more strongly.

He filled it up and stared at it for a moment before bringing it up to his face. A buzz suddenly echoed and a voice hummed out of the living room.

_“Thistle?”_

The clear glass cup slipped out of his slack fingers and shatter loudly in the sink, raining shards into the air that clattered back over metal.

_Damnit!_

He left the radio for one second in the living room and suddenly he was crawling over the sink and jumping over the counter and hitting the couch rather than being smart and walking around them.

He slammed into the couch with a grunt and crawled over it and half fell on the floor and half over the couch as he snatched the walkie-talkie off the coffee table. He couldn't smash the stupid button fast enough and by darn it all he didn’t care how worried and relieved his voice came out.

“Branch?”  he asked letting go of the button and waited. There was a few seconds of silence before something came through again making Thistle’s breath hitch.

_“H—hey.”_

Thistle grinned widely like an idiot. He still couldn’t believe it, his little brother...

“Hey, Branch. Are… you alright?”

_“...Yeah. You?”_

Shoot. What should he say?

“Good.” That’s all he came up with, honestly. And it was half a lie, he could be better with less stress and worry. The reply started to sound stupid in his head.

There was silence.

_“Poppy said you were moping.”_

Thistle scowled. Damn Poppy. Damn Rose. Just damn them both. He wasn’t _moping._

“No comment,” Thistle growled.

A weak laugh came through from the other end and Thistle smiled again. God, when was the last time he had heard Branch laugh? His voice had changed so much, he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

“It’s good to hear from you,” Thistle finally admitted. “I… I was worried,” he swallowed.

 _“...Yeah, I know. I’m sorry,”_ Branch replied regretfully.

Awkward silence.

“How’s your hunger doing?” Thistle suddenly asked.

 _“Still not hungry,”_ Branch replied with some obvious amazement and relief.

Thistle smiled, glad to hear that. “Feeding right should last you about a week. It depends how active you are but it’s usually five to seven days.”

_“I… I was actually going to ask you about that.”_

“Well… now you know. If you need more blood bags I can get them for you. The more you feed well, regularly, the less you’ll have to do it and the more control you’ll feel in.”

_“Thanks… Really, thank you.”_

Thistle snorted and smirked and realized his gut was really starting to hurt with the weird position he was laying in half strewn off the couch. With a grunt he rolled off and picked himself up and sat down.

“Any time, Branch.”

Silence.

Damn this silence.

Thistle had to break it.

“Hey… listen, it turns out there are a lot more vampires around here other than you and Guy… I saw some of his memories and… it’s bad news,” he sighed. “One is a Pureblood.”

 _“Wh-what?”_ Branch’s voice stuttered. _“Guy? Did you… he talked to you? What do you mean by memories?”_

Thistle groaned, shaking his head. Man, he had _so much_ to explain.

“Do you anything about vampire mental powers?”

 _“...um, should I?”_ he asked awkwardly.

Thistle had to suppress another groan, he would have to explain this later. “Look, long story short. Turns out Guy is an old childhood friend of mine but grandma blocked my memories of him after he almost accidentally killed me when I was six.”

 _“WHAT?!”_ Branch screeched and Thistle flinched with the sharp sound distorting through the speakers.

“Look that’s not the point, the point is that vampires have the ability to block memories or alter them. Guy was Silenced by his master, which meant he wasn’t able to talk about his master and his plans. I broke the commands in his mind, which is a rare ability I developed as a Hunter.”

 _“Uh… um, oh, uh… okay?”_ he said back sounding confused and agitated.

“The point is Guy is going to help us, he’s on our side and he’s going to help us defeat his master.”

Branch was silent for a long moment before spoke quietly. _“Who is…?”_

“Creek, Poppy’s boyfriend and the memories I saw from Guy and what I learned today… It’s not pretty, we have a pretty dire situation on our hands and… I could use your help,” he grounded out the words not wanting to say them, putting his brother at risk like this. He expected Branch to reject them.

_“A—alright. What can I do?”_

Thistle stared down at the walkie-talkie in shock, then smirked.

“Well, you can start by learning more about what it means to be a vampire.”

A disgusted grunt came from the other end.

“Come on, you don’t want to be hopeless forever, do you?” Thistle teased back.

An irritated sound came out.

_“Fine.”_

Thistle chuckled and he realized he was pressing the button when he did that. _Oops._

“Glad to hear it. I’ll be sticking around till this is taken care of and more… unless you don’t want me to?” he frowned deeply, his chest already hurting.

Nothing. He guessed that was too fast and sighed, his arm going slack and the radio hitting his leg. He stared at the ceiling for a moment wondering why he always managed to fuck up these sort of things.

_“I’d like that.”_

Thistle’s breath caught and he was smiling like a five year old on Christmas as he picked up the radio again.

“Great!” Okay, that was a little _too_ enthusiastic. Not cool. Not big brother cool. He needed to tone it down a notch.

_“I’m pretty tired…”_

“Right, right,” Thistle agreed. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

_“Yeah… Night, Thistle.”_

“Night, Branch.” Thistle grinned widely and didn’t think at this point. “Love you, bro.”

Silence.

_Shit._

He did it again. He wanted to smack his own stupid face and he did, the radio smashing right into his forehead with a thud.

Then a voice muffled against his skin and he pulled the radio back.

_“So fucking mushy, I swear.”_

Thistle felt his face go red and he was a little pissed with embarrassment.

“Shut the fuck up, Branch.”

_“I love you, too, Thistle.”_

The stupid grin was back on Thistle’s face as he put the radio down with content.

 


	18. Just One of those Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All old chapters at this point are going to be revised, just word of warning. Don't skip. ;)

* * *

 

Branch let out a long breath, a compulsion making him take a breath as he woke up and opened his eyes. He didn’t remember what it was like to actually sleep, the sedative injected into him the other day had been like a blast to the past when he had been human. When he had been capable of real deep sleep.

So far he knew that sleeping like a vampire was very different except when dreaming, that was the same: trapping. His mind was always on edge, keen, alert, ready to stir him into action in a moment’s notice should there be trouble. Except when he dreamed, which was so lucid in nature he questioned if he even was awake or asleep. That is until he actually woke up.

Shuffling off the hard springy bed he walked over and turned on the lights to his room.

Branch looked down at his desk, the radio still there with his journal and the wallet.

Picking up the wallet he fingered it before opening and looking at the photos. He pulled out one of him and Thistle playing in their grandma’s backyard just after they had moved in with her. In the picture the two kids were covered in mud and Thistle was shoving more at Branch’s face. Their grandma had not been so thrilled they had ruined her flower garden but with good spirit she had taken pictures instead.

Branch smiled and then glanced at the radio as he tucked the photo away.

It had been so easy to relax in his older brother’s presence the other day, he had forgotten what that was like. Just to laugh and cry and just… talk with him like when they had been kids… It had been so easy to do it that it had shocked Branch afterwards when he had realized it. Frightened him and made him run.

Poppy’s voice rang in his head again. Was it really okay to feel that way, a little happy? To reconnect with his brother? Could he let him back into his life? Just like that?

And what about Poppy herself? Was she safe? What was the dire situation his brother had mentioned?

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t suddenly worried as he pictured the green-teal haired man in his mind.

That guy, was a _Pureblood?_

What exactly did that mean? How bad was it? How dire was the situation his brother had mentioned last night?

He picked up the radio, looking at it. There was only one way to find out any of this.

He pushed the button.

“Hello?”

Nothing came from the other end then a click.

_“Morning Branch, you’re up early.”_

Branch smirked, his brother’s voice coming out calm but obviously enthusiastic. His brother was as seethrough as ever.

“Obviously,” he retorted. “And so are you.”

 _“Obviously,”_ Thistle mocked back. _“You don’t have to be a smart ass about it.”_

Branch felt himself relax, his smile getting a little broader. Guess it was that easy. It didn’t have to be a bad thing… right? Getting close to him again?

He realized he hadn’t spoken back for who knows how long when Thistle's voice came through the radio again.

 _“I was just kidding, you don’t have to be sensitive about it…”_ he muttered.

Branch blinked, disoriented for a moment after being snapped out of his thoughts.

“Oh, uh… no, I wasn’t,” he assured. “Sorry, just thinking,” he added quickly.

_“Oh.”_

Now the silenced was awkward. Why did he call again? Just to say good morning? Ask about the vampire problem in town?

Branch brought the receiver to his mouth a couple times and put it down a couple times. What the hell should he say? He was drawing a blank, a big horrible blank.

 _“So…”_ Thistle said, his voice coming out odd. _“What are you doing today?”_

That felt so out of the blue, making Branch blink and he automatically answered with a routine already coming up in his thoughts.

“Uhh, I was gonna check my traps again, check my stock of supplies and… um. Sleep, I guess.”

 _“Where do you even live?”_ Thistle asked suddenly, concerned. _“I hope not in some cave.”_

Branch hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his brother around… but his bunker was his place of solitude. He’d never had another soul come in here… it had only ever been him.

“Uhm… I live in an… underground thing,” he finally said. “Camouflaged. Bunker thing.”

Silence… it echoed in the room.

 _“Well that’s better than a cave,”_ Thistle said with obvious mounds of relief.

“What, were you worried I was getting rained on?” Branch joked.

 _“Not like you can get a cold, but yes, I was,”_ Thistle answered truthfully.

“Heh. No worries, I think this used to be some sort of military bunker,” Branch said, sitting down at his desk. “This thing is completely rain and leak-proof.”

A gruff sound came through the radio. _“Bet you fixed it up yourself though, didn’t you?”_

“Let’s see, I repaired the generator, fixed the wiring, repaired some of the doors, even did some fucking plumbing. That wasn’t pleasant and the toilet still gets clogged pretty frequently.”

 _“You don’t even use a toilet as a vampire,”_ Thistle laughed.

“I know. I was bored.” Branch grinned. “I had nothing else to do so why not try out plumbing. Also take note, I’m _never_ doing it again.”

A hearty laugh came through the radio and Thistle didn’t seem close to stopping, the line even cutting off mid-laugh. Branch was smirking, it was good to hear Thistle laugh.

“Yeah, but I also managed to download a video game or two on my computer… like chess,” Branch added.

 _“Computer?”_ Thistle echoed confused. _“You have internet?”_

“Yeah, there’s a satellite antenna that I managed to repair and I use that. I… may have stolen some laptops over the years and learned how to hack things. That’s how I got into the hospitals with no one seeing me,” Branch admitted a bit uncomfortably. 

 _“...My degree is in computer science and weapon engineering,”_ Thistle mentioned offhandedly. _“Guess we are still pretty similar, huh? You know Branch… you don’t have to steal anymore. I’ll get you whatever you need. Just ask.”_ There was no judgment in his voice, just understanding and sincerity.

Branch felt a lump in his throat swell but he swallowed it down with a bit of difficulty.

“Th—thanks,” he muttered quietly but honestly. “Thank you.”

A thought occurred to Branch and he slowly raised the radio back to his mouth.

“What… what are you going to tell Dad?” he asked slowly.

Silence, again.

Then Thistle's voice came out cold and hard, angry. _“Nothing. I’m not going to tell him shit.”_

Branch was quiet for a few moments.

“Won’t he get suspicious if you’re here for a while?” Branch asked. “And… you know. And you know, once you, er, well once you take care of the vampire problem… you’re gonna have to go back, right? Back to where you came from once you’re done here?”

The radio clicked but nothing came out for a moment. _“I’ve been on my own for years, Branch. Dad and I don’t talk much, he won’t care where I am. As for the vampires, let me worry about them for now, I’m running research and I’ve hacked Creek’s estate… It’s a lot that I rather explain in person. After that… I was thinking of moving down here unless… I…”_ he trailed off.

“You what?” Branch pushed.

_“What?”_

“You were going to say something.”

 _“... Unless you don’t want me around,”_ he finally admitted.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I want you around?” Branch cried automatically. “I mean… I haven’t—We haven’t seen each other in a long time and… _ugh_ ,” Branch rubbed his face. Why was this so hard?

 _“I… I just wasn’t sure you’d want me to stick around,”_ Thistle admitted sounding a bit down.

“Yeah, well, you’re a dork.”

Thistle chuckled. “We both are, you’re the one that made me feel like that.”

Shame flooded through Branch for a moment and he didn’t reply quite as quickly.

“I… know,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, I just… _you’re here_ , but… it’s been… so many _years_ and, I dunno, I’m… not sure what the fuck to do about that. Hell, I don’t know what the fuck to do about _anything_ anymore,” Branch cried, running a hand through his messy hair.

 _“Branch, calm down, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,”_ Thistle said sounding panicked. _“I didn’t mean to upset you… It’s just been a lot for me to take in too, you know? I was… so happy to find you alive...you have no idea how badly I wanted to hug you and I still do and… The idea that I freaked you out so much that you didn’t want me around, being a Hunter and all… It’s just been hard,”_ he swallowed.

“I get it,” Branch replied. “I’m sorry… I guess we’re both just kinda messed up, huh?”

 _“You’re preaching to the choir, bro. Like, no joke,”_ Thistle snorted.

“Do…” Branch swallowed. “Do you want… uh, me to come by later?”

 _“I—I’d really like that,”_ Thistle admitted immediately. “ _Are you sure you’re comfortable coming here though? I mean… Rose promised she’d try not to be… um…”_ he made a sound in his throat.

“I’ll be honest, being tied up and cuffed wasn’t that fun,” Branch replied. “And Rose pointing her gun at my head also wasn’t… pleasant.”

_“I’m sorry about all that. As for Rose, she’s… overcautious, you know? I would tell you why but I promised I wouldn’t share it without her permission…”_

“She’s a vampire hunter and I’m a vampire. She’s got every reason to be cautious around me.”

 _“It’s not that simple. She has as much reason as you or I do. In fact, I think her’s might even be worse than ours,”_ Thistle admitted with a sigh.

“What could be worse than your own brother and grandmother getting killed by vampires,” Branch said, meaning to make a joke but said it without humor in his voice.

 _“... You… still don’t remember… do you…?”_ Thistle whispered horrified.

Branch frowned.

“Remember what?”

 _“...”_ An audible gulp could be heard before the words came out hard, painful, restrained, in a whisper. _“Mom.”_

Branch furrowed his brow, trying to think. He… just couldn’t place what Thistle was talking about. What _was_ he even talking about?

“I’m confused,” was all he replied with.

 _“Ha…”_ came the weak laugh. _“You still don’t remember… I… I’m not having this conversation with you over the radio, Branch. I’ll tell you in person if you want to know, but not… not over the radio and without a stiff drink,”_ he whispered quietly in the end.

There was a hard lump in Branch’s stomach. Didn’t their mom die of sickness when he was five? If that wasn’t the case… then what actually _happened?_

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know but curiosity was also chewing at him. He wanted to understand, especially why it was obviously so hard for Thistle to bring it up. Branch wished...he was next to Thistle to put his hand on his brother’s shoulder at that moment.

There was silence again and it was tense even through the radio and this time Branch had to break it.

“Want to come over instead?” he suddenly offered.

 _“What?”_ Thistle’s voice came through in an instant with shock.

“To my bunker,” he clarified with a tight voice. “I mean there isn’t much to do but…”

 _“We can exchange stories,”_ Thistle immediately offered sounding more at ease again. _“You tell me things you’ve gone through, I can tell you about some fights, places I’ve seen, that sort of thing. You know… just catch up.”_

Branch smiled, he liked the sound of that. Sharing the last twelve years.

“Yeah… Yeah, that sounds good.”

_“I’ll meet you on the highway where the tire tracks are, in an hour?”_

“Sounds good,” Branch nodded to himself.

“I’ll see you then.” He could practically hear the smile on his brother’s voice over the last transmission.

Branch put the walkie-talkie down then looked around his room… He felt a sudden rush of anticipation and nervousness and decided to straighten the place out.

* * *

 

Thistle was smirking broadly, flipping an egg on the pan in the kitchen.

He was thinking about several things, but he most excited to see his brother today. He had insisted on breaking the news to Poppy until they could all gather in person. He was still running some research on the computer too.

The full moon was in three more days.

He frowned at that thought, but Guy’s information had reassured his concern. He knew Rose was not as easily convinced though, today she would be meeting him and the banshee…

He wondered how that would go? She could be… a bit _abrasive_ and he grimaced _._

Like she had been _not_ thrilled to find out Guy had hunted with him. Thistle could still remember her untrusting and hurt expression in his mind and he sighed.

The conversation last night had been long and taxing, brooding. She had been grim for every second of it, unsure how they should proceed just as much as himself.

She wanted to get Poppy away but at the same time they could not leave the Pureblood to its own devices with such power or leave the issue of the Feast behind.

She had grown quiet on him and had gone to bed in silence, contemplating how they would break this to Poppy. They had a few days…

Thistle heard footsteps, turning his head and smiling, trying to be encouraging.

“Morning,” Rose called as she made it down the last few steps. She froze when she saw Thistle grinning at her from the stove.

“Morning, Rose, I made you breakfast,” he offered placing an egg over easy on a white plate.

She stared, observing him. “You’re in a good mood,” she mused, looking pensive. “Branch call you again?”

“Yup,” he chirped with his deep voice as he tossed some sausage links next into the plate. Rose wanted to smile with that happy carefree tone of his. “He invited me over, I’ll be leaving here in a bit,” he said as he filled a second plate with mostly only sausage and an egg sunny side up.

She smiled and pushed down her uneasiness, she just wanted to be happy to see Thistle smiling so broadly. But she couldn’t even find any positive energy in her as her mind was boggled by so many issues and dangers before them.

“I’m glad. Be careful, alright?” she said as he offered her the plate and she took it, moving towards the table.

He nodded to her, looking more serious.

“Are you still going into town today?” he asked sitting adjacent to her on the table.

“Yeah, I was going to meet the werewolf and banshee, I asked Poppy to hold off confronting them. We know he's a born but… I just want to be sure of his safety measures for the full moon. I downloaded the werewolf registry last night but there are no records of werewolf activity here in years. There was one registered werewolf but it died years ago, I think it’s the grandfather Guy mentioned.”

“If there haven’t been any reports of attacks here and he’s been managing its turns away from town, you can leave him alone,” he mentioned untroubled as he started on his food. He was actually pretty hungry, the blood from yesterday had finally worn off.

“I still have to register it,” Rose reaffirmed. “Protocol.”

Thistle nodded, he wasn’t going to argue with her. He had already asked her to break enough rules as it was, but he honestly saw no point anymore.

“Just be discreet about it, please. If it can wait, hold it off. We don’t need other Hunters poking around here, especially not my father, not until I can be sure I can keep Branch safe,” he reminded, looking up at her.

“I know, but we have to make sure Poppy and the other people here stay safe too, you know,” she pointed out. “And we have to start thinking of a plan for Creek and the Feast,” she hissed. “We can leave a docile wolf alone but I am not extending that courtesy beyond Branch to the other vampires. I’m barely extending it to Guy.”

Thistle paused at that, looking at her carefully.

Guy…

They hadn’t spoken since they had parted ways yesterday and he was honestly a bit worried. Even though he knew he had no reason to be, there had been no suspicious activity coming from his phone.

“I didn’t say we would,” Thistle agreed and he paused, half his food already gone. “Can you get me a bottle of scotch while you’re out?” he asked suddenly. “I’ll give you the cash.”

She scowled at him in disapproval.

“It’s not for what you think,” he sighed, hesitating. “I’m… telling Branch about our mom.”

Her face relaxed in an instant. “I’ll get you that scotch. The usual, right?” she asked picking up her phone.

Thistle smiled with relief. “Yeah, the usual. Thanks Rose, you’re the best.”

“I know,” she said with just the faintest amount of a smug smile that made Thistle grin. Her confidence and sass lightened the mood and made her less intimidating when she decided to wear her more relaxed personality.

Rose was texting Poppy, her small smile falling as he looked up at the clock then him.

She put down her cell phone and waited, it was pretty early, it was only eight in the morning.

“How… I’m not sure how we are going to break this to her…”

“She needs the support of her friends,” Thistle said gently, putting down his fork. “Guy needs to be the one to tell her, she’ll believe him.”

Rose grimaced, noti looking convinced but slowly nodded.

“We need to do it right away. Maybe… later today or tomorrow?” she frowned.

Thistle grunted. “Tomorrow, I want to involve Branch, he needs to know this too,” he said as he pulled out his wallet and a familiar little pill case and Rose didn’t think.

“You need to cut back on the blood pills, Thistle. You have an addiction problem.”

Thistle stabbed a sausage and scrunched up his face, slapping the black pill case against the wooden table as he turned his blue glare up to her.

“I’m worried,” she whispered reaching over and she flinched for a moment before she sighed and her hand landed on top of his balled up fist. He froze at the contact his icy glare melting somewhat. “You know what can happen in the long run if you overdose or overuse them, or if you… get bitten,” she reminded, knowing it had affected her parents in such a way like it ended up affecting more Hunters than they cared to admit. Long life expectancy didn’t come with their job description.

He frowned and glanced at her hand on his. “I know Rose, but I’m fine. I passed my last psych exam and I’m in top physical condition and health. I can handle it. And I won’t let anyone bite me while I’m on the pill,” he remarked with an obstinate tone.

She sighed and let go of his hand and turned back to her food as he opened his wallet and placed some money on the table that she ignored.

Thistle could be so stubborn and it worried her. He used the pill more often than what was recommended, more than most Hunters used it. And Thistle’s body took to the blood _too_ well, each and every time than most Hunters ever experienced. She never once forgotten that detail…

If he ever got bitten by chance… and now with the risk Branch and Guy represented.. .she shuddered at the thought. Turned Hunters… were often more monstrous and powerful than their Creators due to years of their human bodies being acclimated to vampiric blood since childhood… and quite often, they ended up mad in their new state. Basically Esurients.

If Thistle ever turned… Rose wasn’t sure she’d even be able to take him down even if she wanted to. While enhanced under the blood pill’s effects alone he was _almost_ as powerful as a patrician vampire. Turned… she couldn't imagine the horror he might become.

Her phone vibrated and dinged, breaking her from her dark thoughts. Reaching over she picked it up and checked it.

“Can you arrange something with Poppy?” Thistle asked, standing up and moving to the sink to wash his plate. “For tomorrow, I’ll see how comfortable Branch is with the idea and I’ll let Guy know. We’ll have a sit down.”

Rose nodded, already texting before her phone started to ring and she blinked surprised as she picked up the phone.

“Poppy? I was just about to call you.”

_“Ah, hey, Rose, got your text. I’m meeting up with Bigs and Sooks today, yeah. You…. Wanted to meet them?”_

“Yeah,” Rose confirmed. “I need to register Biggie, actually. Protocol,” she explained.

 _“What about Suki? Do you need to like… register her or anything?”_  Poppy asked hesitantly

“Nothing bad, I just want to know how many supernaturals are in town and what she might have to say. Banshees are actually pretty rare, they’ve nearly become extinct in the past four hundred or so years.”

_“Huh… and they don’t lure people to their deaths, they just warn them of them, right?”_

“They can, technically,” Rose grimaced. “Usually by controlling their emotions through singing. Vampire’s actually gained that ability, which we call Siren’s Voice, from drinking Banshee blood. But a death by a banshee is something that hasn’t happened in centuries.”

 _“...Woah…”_ Poppy murmured softly at this new information. _“So wait, vampires have the ability to absorb other magical creature’s powers?!”_

“Well… yes,” Rose grimaced as she started to elaborate. “They don’t always succeed but the powerful ones… _do,_ and they can pass it on to their Turneds or children, but that’s also rare. Vampires have been able to use that ability for centuries now though, it’s rare for a vampire to have it but it happens more often with the higher hierarchy of vampires.”

_“Woah… but no vampire ever sucks werewolf blood? Is that why there aren’t any werewolf-vampire hybrids running around?”_

“Werewolf blood is venomous to vampires, it’s actually the only way to make them throw up,” she scowled. “It’s a completely different and incompatible virus to their own.”

 _“Oh.”_ Poppy hummed in thought. _“Well anyway, Biggs and Sooks are coming over at noon, Biggie is dropping off Dinkles at my house.”_

“I’ll be there,” Rose said quickly. “Also, we need… to talk,” she sighed seriously. “You, me, Thistle, Guy and Branch if Thistle can get him to come. Soon, like, tomorrow soon.”

 _“Okay… uh… about Creek?”_ Poppy asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” she said evenly. “You haven’t talked to him right? I mean out of the normal, right?”

 _“N—no, I haven’t, but… I still don’t see how he can… be what you say he is,”_ Poppy said, her voice confused.

“You need to hear what Guy says tomorrow, Poppy. Promise me.”

 _“....okay,_ ” she agreed reluctantly.

“Thank you, I’ll be coming over. Okay?” Rose said firmly and stood up and realized Thistle had vanished on her without her noticing. Boy, that man could be sneaky when he wanted to be. Thankfully they had all terrain bikes in the cabin’s garage, like he was going to leave his truck.

 _“Got it. Ooooh, Rose, I had this idea I wanted to swing by ya, but I want to wait till you’re here to bring it up,”_ Poppy said excitedly. _“...NEVER MIND I can’t wait that long.”_

“I’d be there in hal—” Rose was completely drowned out.

_“Okay so you know the dinner we were gonna have that one day but then Branch disappeared? So I was thinking maybe we could wait till Branch is a little more comfortable around people, HOPEFULLY before this Wednesday because my Dad is coming home Thursday, and then have a big dinner with just the four of us at my house! Or five, if you and Thistle will let Guy tag along!”_

Rose was silent, skeptical, she didn’t know what to think.

“Well, I don’t know Poppy… I mean Thistle just went to go spend the day with Branch…”

 _“Good! That means Branch is warming up to people again!”_ Poppy said brightly. _“And this dinner will be good for him, I just know it! And it will JUST be with us, I’ll make sure no one else is around, and—Oh Rose, Branch hasn’t had a proper family dinner in **years**!_ _I want to do this for him! Him AND Thistle.”_

Rose frowned, this was… an all around bad idea. So why was she opening her mouth?

“Branch will start to get hungry within the next two days or so… today might be the last safe day…” Yeah, why was she opening her mouth again? And then _two_ vampires, that was insanity in it of itself!

 _“Rose. What better time to have_ dinner _, than when you’re HUNGRY?”_

“Not THAT kind of hungry, Poppy! The kind that might have him biting into our necks!”

_“....Well, Thistle can feed him. You guys have blood bags, right? Just give him a bunch of those!”_

To be honest the wrong idea crossed Rose’s mind when Poppy uttered ‘Thistle can feed him,’ and it nearly made her groan. “It’s not that simple Poppy… however…” he eyes sparked. “Eating real food like rare meat can put off his hunger a bit longer… WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?!” she suddenly yelled to herself. Why were these idealists suddenly getting in her head?!

 _“Don’t stop! What else can put off a vampire’s hunger? What other types of food can they eat?”_ Poppy asked, excited.

“Ugh… there’s not a lot of human food that tastes good to them,” Rose admitted taking her plate to the sink to start washing it. “Like they can eat rare meat, they can eat some chocolate and drink coffee—,”

 _“Hold on, hold on, did you say chocolate?! OH GOSH THAT WAS BRANCH’S FAVORITE DESSERT!”_ Poppy squealed, _“This is perfect!! We’re gonna have to get chocolate everything now!!! OH, and buy him some new clothes!! And shoes, the guy was freaking barefoot, Rose!”_

“Hmm yeah he was… Anyways, they can also drink alcohol… Thistle did ask me to stop by and buy him some today while I was in town. He said he needs it for a sensitive chat he’s going to have with Branch…” she mused troubled.

_“Should we plan this for tomorrow? I think we should do this tomorrow!”_

“Poppy…” she let out a long sigh. What was she doing? Her mind wandered to the two boys and she found herself smiling. She should honestly say no. “Sure, it gives us enough time to cancel… We can… shop for everything today after I meet your friends?

 Why did that actually sound like a bit of fun? She must be going mad.

_“YES, that sounds great!”_

That gave Thistle enough time to warm Branch up to the idea… and Rose to warm up Thistle to it… Oh, this was going to be hell and for some reason Rose was smiling deviantly. Thistle hated parties… it would be good to break him of that, although Rose had to admit she wasn’t much of a fan herself.

“Sure.”

_“What’s Thistle’s favorite dessert? We gotta get that, too.”_

“Chocolate,” Rose laughed. He was going to hate this, Rose loved it already even with the little worry eating at her. She’d have her gun on hand anyways, it should be fine…

She couldn’t believe she was thinking that as she turned off the sink water.

 _“THIS IS PERFECT,”_ Poppy crowed. _“Oh, we should get some new clothes, too. GIRLS DAY OUT, YEAH!!”_

Okay, now this sounded like her personal nightmare. _Do it for Thistle,_ she told herself.

“Suuuure….” she groaned with no enthusiasm.

_“It’s a special event, Rose, we need to get you some nice clothes for it.”_

“Over my dead body,” she muttered walking over to pick up her gun and supply belt on the living room coffee table.

 _“Oh come on, what’s wrong with dressing up a little bit every once in a blue moon? Especially someone as hot as you—just a little makeup and a pretty dress, and Thistle won’t be able to take his_ eyes _off you!”_

Rose gulped and was silent for a moment. “...I hate you, Poppy, so much right now. Like you wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.”

 _“No you don’t,”_ Poppy said sweetly. _“Now go get ready and stuff. We can go shopping after you… eh… do whatever you need to do with…. Biggie,”_ she added hesitantly.

“I’ll be nice to him, Poppy. I’ll be there in about an hour or less.”

_“Okiedokie!”_

“See you in a bit,” Rose sighed and hung up.

Looking at the screen she saw her own reflection grimacing back at herself as she texted Thistle.

Rose: _It’s done. Tomorrow, dinner. Let Guy know._

Thistle: _Got it. Thanks Rose._

Still frowning, she tucked her phone away, and threw her head back and groaned loudly to the ceiling. She grabbed the cash off the table and prepared to leave after chucking a blood pill in her mouth ready to upset her stomach.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“So, are you _really_ okay?” Satin poked his cheek as Guy stared at his chocolate ice cream.

“Huh? Oh, oh, yeah, I’m… I’m okay, just have a lot on my mind,” Guy said, glancing around at the parlor they were sitting in, alone. He looked back at Satin with an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“You haven’t really been here during our whole make up date,” she pointed out with a frown, gracefully curving her body to face him.

“... Just… I have some issues I’m dealing with, is all,” Guy shrugged halfheartedly. “Uh… F—family issues, nothing to worry about, really.”

She frowned, reaching over and taking his hand. “I’m sorry. Anything I can help with?”

“Just keep being yourself is all I need,” Guy smiled, running his  thumb over her hand. His eyes fell a bit however, and he drew his hand back.

What was he even _doing?_ Going on a date with Satin while knowing the truth they could never be? He could never bring her into his life, he just couldn’t do that to her.

He… couldn’t do _this_ to her. Lead her on. It was breaking his own heart and he knew hers would be far worse off if he kept putting this off.

“Wanna talk about it?” she offered quietly after a minute of silence, breaking his thoughts as she kept watching him concerned.

Guy sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced out of the window.

“I… I need to confess something to you, Satin,” he said after a moment.

She stared intently, serious and nodded her head. “Yes?”

“This… us… I don’t… I don’t know if it’s going to work,” Guy said as slowly and gently as possible.

She froze, staring at him taken aback.

“Wha—why not?” she whispered, her voice going quieter with hurt.

“Listen, trust me when I say I love you, okay? But… I don’t…” He rubbed his face. Damn it, why was this so hard?! He hated to see her in pain. “I can’t…”

“If you love me then why don’t you think it will work?” she demanded, her tone getting sharper with her confusion.

“... The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Satin, but… I don’t think I love you in that way,” he said in a dull voice, settling for a lie. “You’re an amazing, talented, beautiful woman who deserves a guy who will love you completely.”

She stared at him, her frown going deeper as she looked away. Her lip trembled as she glared into her ice cream.

“...I’m sorry,” Guy croaked, feeling a lump in his throat. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship, I—I just—”

“But… I love you, too,” she muttered looking up at him, her eyes starting to bud with tears. “You won’t even try?”

Guy’s expression grew more pained and he couldn’t meet her gaze.

“... It’s really complicated, Satin,” he said quietly.

“Is it because I don’t want to have sex till marriage?” she snorted with a glare, crossing her arms.

“No!” Guy immediately looked up with a frown. “I couldn’t care _less_ about that, Satin—hell I’m still a fucking virgin myself, okay? I just—like I said, It’s complicated…”

“So, you won’t tell me why then? Honestly? You think it's _so_ complicated I won’t get it?” she demanded, her temper starting to flare as he refused to be straight with her.

Guy groaned, rubbing his forehead. He was in deep shit now and it was all his fault.

“I’m sorry, but yes,” he said, looking up at her evenly.

She huffed, whipping her head away from him. “Fine. Whatever,” she snapped, standing up and grabbing her purse.

“I’m sorry,” Guy croaked with emotion. “But you deserve someone better than me.”

“Whatever, Guy,” she growled, glaring at him. “You don’t value yourself enough in my opinion. _I_ decide who deserves me, no one else! And that _was_ you!”

Guy didn’t meet her fiery gaze and stared only at his fingers which had curled into a pained fist.

The clacking of her heels echoed sharply in his sensitive ears as she quickly walked away and towards the exit. The doorbell rattling but not as loudly as the door that slammed shut, turing curious heads.

Guy felt something akin to a stake stabbing his heart with the noise of that slamming door and he felt tears prick his eyes.

“...I think I need a drink,” Guy croaked to himself, pushing away his uneaten ice cream.

As if his day wasn’t frustrating enough as it was. Here he felt his tongue was finally free and he had bite it in order to hold everything down.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Guy frowned and pulled it out curiously, glancing at the text.

Theo: _Tomorrow night we are meeting with Poppy to tell her. Work for you?_

Guy grimaced but he texted back with slow fingers.

Guy: _Works for me._

He paused, tapping his fingers on the table for a moment before texting again.

Guy: _Has your brother contacted you yet?_

Theo: _He did. I’m going to visit him right now, just have to drive there. I’m going to try to get him to join us tomorrow._

Guy couldn’t help a small smile at this good news.

Guy: _Awesome, have fun with your bro._

Theo: _Thanks, I’ll try. But I’m a bit out of practice._

Guy: _You’ll be fine man, just keep it loose with him. Chill, relaxed. Chillaxed._

Theo: _… I’m sorry. About… Want to get drinks tonight?_

Guy blinked at his phone, remembering Theo could see and hear everything he was doing. He grimaced, glancing away before texting again.

Guy: _….Yeah I could definitely use some drinks._

Theo: _I’ll see you later tonight then. Just tell me a place and time and I’ll be there._

Guy: _Kk, how about The Big Barrel at 7?_

Theo: _Got it. I’ll be there._

The log vanished, blank again like a clean slate.

Guy set his phone down and stared at his melting ice cream, not really in the mood to finish it but not wanting it to go to waste… He scooped a little into his mouth with a sour face, feeling the lump in his throat get even bigger.

 


	19. Heartattack

 

Branch was fidgeting at the edge of the tree line, looking out at the paved highway from the shade of the trees. He was listening intently and watching, getting nervous. He tensed as a loud roar got louder and louder.

He recognized it, except it was a lot louder this time in his ears from the outside.

Was that really a car?

He guess it made sense that his brother, as a Hunter, would be driving such a monster.

And that’s when the glint of black metal came over a small hill of rocky outcrops and stopped before the road, rumbling.

Branch hesitated, looking out.

He was about to step out from the shadow of the tree when the truck started to move again, crossing the road and slicing into the undergrowth with ease. Just a few feet away and stopping by Branch’s tense body.

The window rolled down and he was met by a wide smirk and light blue eyes.

“Don’t tell me you want me to run you over.”

Branch let out a gruff huff. “As if you could hit me.”

“Standing like a rock? I sure can,” Thistle teased back making Branch roll his eyes but smile. “Want a ride?”

Branch peered curiously at the truck and he had to admit… he liked the idea.

Without a word he walked around it and came up to the door of the passenger side, gingerly his fingers grabbed the handle and the door popped open. He leapt back when a rail step pulled down and he stared at it for a moment. His eyes shot up back to the passenger seat and Thistle was beaming, like he was showing off a fancy new toy. Which in all truth he was and Branch recognized that look from their childhood. It was familiar and he relaxed, stepping in.

As he sat down on the smooth seats he looked around with wide eyes after closing the door. He glanced back and saw the cage and averted his gaze.

“How did you get this? It looks expensive. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he admitted.

Thistle shrugged. “Dad’s pretty rich, you know? And even though I cut myself off you could say I’m more than a little well-off, I mean the Society _does_ pay its Hunters. We’re pretty much a bunch of bounty hunters for the supernatural,” he scoffed. “When I’m not hunting I’m working for dad’s company as a weapon engineer sometimes for the American military but mostly for the Society but my real work is with computers… We also kind of own Oak Inc. if you recall...” he trailed off. “No offense but I prefer hunting over working under dad’s thumb, although,” his face scrunched up, “that’s not much of a difference since he’s still the leader of the Hunters. At least the Society really runs us, not him, sort of...”

His hand grabbed the clutch and the truck started to move making Branch tense and look out the windshield.

“I got her a few years ago and I’ve been modifying her,” Thistle grinned patting the steering wheel.

“Her?” Branch chuckled.

“Hey! No judging, man! You don’t know what it’s like to have a car,” he said defensively. “Guys call their cars hers.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he chortled.

Thistle nodded satisfied. “So where am I going?”

“Oh… uhm…” Branch looked around trying to find the familiar path with his eyesight alone now that he couldn’t smell the woods and the directionality of the winds. “That way,” he pointed straight a little to the right. “Could you… um… not drive all the way there?” he asked a little uncomfortably, looking at his brother hoping he wouldn’t offend.

Thistle smiled and nodded. “Don’t want tire tracks leading all the way there, right? I get it.”

Branch sighed in relief, a grateful smile taking his face.

“Thanks. So… um,” he paused uncomfortably and glanced at Thistle, taking a deep breath. He caught a heavy dose of his brother’s scent, it smelled human and he felt a slight tingle in his throat but nothing alarming. “Dad… hasn’t changed much?” he asked slowly.

Thistle face stiffened like he had tasted something bad. “Do you really want to talk about him?” he grumbled looking at Branch. “Dad really hasn’t changed, if anything he got worse after...what happened with you and grandma,” he trailed off his voice harsh. “Stricter. Colder. More distant. He took down all the pictures of you and mom and wouldn’t let me even bring it up without yelling at me. I practically fucking forgot what your face looked like because of him.”

Branch grimaced, he didn’t know what to say.

A loud ringing suddenly reverberated through the cabin and Thistle paused looking surprised and his hand reached for a cubby in the dashboard.

“Must be Rose—” he froze shocked and the truck suddenly came to a shrieking stop making Branch fly forward, his hands hitting the dashboard and he growled annoyed as he shot a glare at Thistle. But the dark stormy look on his brother’s face made him freeze.

“Speak of the fucking devil and he shall appear,” he muttered looking up at Branch and putting a finger over his mouth to tell him to be quiet as the phone rang.

Eyes wide, Branch nodded mutely.

Thistle hit the answer icon on the screen and put the phone to his ear.

“Thistle here,” he greeted concisely.

_“Theodore.”_

Branch stiffened as he heard the familiar voice, fear running up his spine and an old sense of panic rose in him.

“What do you want?” Thistle asked tartly leaning back into his seat, crossing an arm over his torso.

_“Can’t I call my own son to see how he is?”_

“What the fuck do you want,” Thistle repeated, his voice getting colder.

The voice on the other end sighed. _“I wanted to call you to congratulate you, on your birthday.”_

Thistle sneered. “My birthday was three days ago.”

_“...I noticed.”_

“Look, I don’t need this right now. Can I—”

“ _I came by your house yesterday and you weren’t there, or today. Where are you?”_

Thistle froze, a snarl taking his face. “That’s not your fucking business.”

 _“Theodore…”_ the voice coming authoritarian, stern.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Thistle hissed back. “I’m free to leave whenever I fucking please.”

 _“You’re my son, Theodore,”_ the voice came out with an edge. _“I have every right to ask.”_

“And I have every fucking right to tell you to fuck off,” Thistle spat back.

 _“......Theodore…”_ the voice sighed tiredly.

“Look, I don’t need your bullshit right now, alright, _Dad_?”

_“THEODORE!”_

“Look! I don’t know what you’re fucking thinking, but you do this to me _every fucking year!_ ” Thistle roared back. “You think you can just call me _once_ a year and think I’ll be alright with it? Especially the week I _don’t_ want to talk to you? You haven’t taken the time of day for us since mom died! Maybe if you had fucking been around instead of sending us off like crap you didn’t want to look at anymore, the shit that happened to Branch and—”

 _“I told you to **never** bring that up again, Theodore!”_ the voice suddenly pitched, yelling back.

“AND I FUCKING TOLD YOU NOT TO **_EVER_** CALL ME UNLESS YOU WERE PLANNING ON FUCKING APOLOGIZING!” Thistle howled and suddenly he yanked the phone from his ear, smashing the end button and tossing the phone into the cubby, a loud cracking sound following.

Thistle sat back, fuming, huffing through his teeth as he gripped the wheel with taunt fingers and glared ahead.

Branch was staring at Thistle wide-eyed, glancing back and forth at the now broken phone to Thistle.

“...That went well,” he muttered quietly. 

“It went fucking great!” Thistle laughed harshly.

“...He only calls you once a _year_?”

“I told you we don’t fucking talk much, not since I was ten,” Thistle spat and suddenly he gunned the gas, the truck shooting forward. Branch felt himself lurch back in his seat with the sudden movement and he gripped the cushion hard.

“Tree!” he yelped, as a clearly distracted Thistle swerved and barely missed the young sapling. He continued to stomp on the gas sporadically, making the car’s tires squeal in the dirt and swerve nearly out of control. “Geez, stop—Thistle, stop the car!”

Thistle stiffened, turning wide eyes on Branch and hitting the brakes, the truck coming to a grinding halt, dirt flying from under the tires past the windows.

“You—you are obviously in no shape to drive,” Branch breathed. “How about we walk. I think I’m gonna walk.”

Thistle gritted his teeth and turned off the ignition. As the engine died he sighed long and painfully. “Sorry…” he muttered.

“It’s… okay. Lets just… not do that again, please,” Branch chuckled nervously. “You nearly took down a tree back there.”

Thistle snorted, rolling his eyes. “She can take it. She’s got a steel bumper I hit a werewolf with once and knocked it out cold,” he laughed yanking out the keys.

“Never met a werewolf,” Branch muttered, opening the car door and climbing out.

“Well, I don’t recommend it while there’s a full moon out,” Thistle mentioned loudly climbing out too. “A werewolf could easily kill most vampires while in their true form.”

“...What do werewolves look like, anyway?” Branch asked. “Are they giant wolf creatures or do they look like a wolf-human hybrid?”

“Think of a more wolf with a bit of human-like hybrid with some bear in there and two times bigger than a bear and faster than a damn bullet,” Thistle answered as he made it to the front of the truck and yanked out a bottle of pills. He popped the cap and two red pills rolled out.

Branch watched as he tossed the pills into his mouth and swallowed. The scent his brother gave off slowly changed, growing more and more similar to Branch’s own.

“I thought you only took those when you were facing…” Branch trailed off. “Never mind.”

“That’s usually the protocol,” Thistle sighed, taking a deep breath and as he opened his eyes and they glowed harshly for a moment. “Don’t tell Rose, she’ll chew my ass out.”

“... Wait, you take them just on your own? For no reason? Or is it because I’m standing here?” Branch asked and he had to admit the last possibility hurt him a bit, made his heart sink in his chest but at the same time… he couldn’t blame his brother if that was the case.

Thistle frowned looking at his brother, obviously not missing the context. “Look, I’m going to be completely honest with you…” he sighed. “I might have… an _addiction_ problem, alright? But I don’t do it for no reason. Right now I just need to break shit, okay?”

Branch’s frown became very troubled but he didn’t press the matter further.

“Come on,” Thistle grinned suddenly. “Show me what you can do, let’s race.”

“I—race?” Branch was surprised at the sudden change of behavior and the suggestion had caught him off guard.

“I need to blow off steam,” Thistle snorted like it was obvious. “See you later, slowpoke!”

Suddenly he bolted into a blur of speed, vanishing past the trees in a millisecond.

Branch gaped after him until a determined smirk grew on his lips.

“Oh, is that how it’s gonna be?” Branch muttered to himself, taking a step back.

Then he was off. Like a bolt of lightning he was gone, chasing after Thistle's scent. He caught up to him easily, his brother’s back appearing in his sight.

He’d never chased after something so fast and suddenly a familiar competitive nature was creeping up on him. Something he hadn’t felt since he was a kid.

_WHOOOSH!_

Branch caught up to his brother and sped past him, looking back and grinning at Thistle’s shocked expression.

Thistle couldn’t believe it! And he had just taken two pills! He suddenly smirked and unleashed more power into his legs, rocketing past Branch again and suddenly leaping over a glade cut by a river, landing on the other side, still racing.

Branch leapt over, following him and landing easily. Thistle had overtaken him again but Branch wouldn’t let him go so easily. He worked his legs faster, pushing off the ground harder. Thistle was getting closer and closer and suddenly they were side by side, until Branch grinned cheekily and suddenly he was ahead once more, going faster than he’d ever gone before.

Thistle laughed, racing after him, pushing his body to the limit, and as a minute passed he was falling farther and farther behind. Trying his damndest to catch up. His heart racing, thundering too fast till the pain suddenly lanced through his chest like a thunderclap and he fell, rolling and smashing into a thicket of bushes, coughing. Blood splattering past his lips.

Branch heard the crash and turned his head, but he was already so far ahead that he didn’t see his brother anywhere. He quickly turned on his heel, but the momentum caused him to careen sideways and straight into a large oak tree.

_CR-R-ACK!_

Branch felt and heard a huge thundering crack shudder through the tree when his side—which was now throbbing painfully—collided into it. He looked up slowly and saw the large oak sway slightly, then eventually start to tip over to the left, its trunk split where Branch had hit it.

**_C-RRRRAASH!_ **

_...Goodbye oak tree_ , Branch winced as it hit the ground. He backed up a few paces before turning around and racing back, searching for his brother. He ignored the pain in his shoulder—his brother was more important.

Thistle rolled over out of the bushes, wheezing, blood draining out of his mouth, his vision blurry as he looked up. Far in the distance he could see the swaying of the trees. But his vision was dancing too so he couldn’t be sure other than the sound crashing into his ears a few moments later.

Shit. He really had overdone it _this_ time.

 _“Thistle!”_ A warbled voice reached his ears.

Thistle coughed, dizzy, wheezing, his heart still seizing with shock as he reached for his pocket. Shit, he needed another pill to heal the internal damage...

“Thistle! Oh my god, Thistle are you—Shit, shit, shit!” Branch was suddenly at his side, sliding to his knees and grabbing his brother’s shoulder. Ignoring the smell of blood igniting a spark in his throat. He could control it, that’s what he reminded himself.

Thistle’s hand slipped and the bottle fell out of his trembling grip.

“F-f-fuu-uck,” he wheezed, letting out another cough, his hand coming up to clutch his chest, his fingers crumpling his black shirt over his heart.

“What do you need?! What do I do?! Do I need to get Rose?” Branch cried.

“Bl-blood!” Thistle coughed trying to grab the bottle but his vision danced and he ended up clawing the ground next to it.

“Yes, you’re bleeding, I can see that—OH!” Branch finally saw the bottle Thistle was trying to reach and grabbed it, popping it open. “You need this?! How many?”

Thistle fell to his side, coughing hard, raising a single finger as his other  hand clawed at his chest. His heart sounding like a jackhammer in the silence.

Branch in his haste accidentally dumped a handful into his hand. He winced, picking out one and held it out to Thistle.

Thistle groaned, why did there always have to be three of everything in these dizzying spells? He reached forward, grabbing something, his brother’s arm.

“F—fuck, Thistle, just open your mouth. Open your mouth!” Branch dropped the pile of extra pills in his other hand and forced his brother’s jaw open instead.

Something lodged into his mouth and Thistle didn’t think, just swallowed. He fell back, wheezing and coughing as he waited for the damn thing to start working. It only took seconds, the heat spreading into his stomach and making him groan in relief as he closed his eyes and relaxed. Slowly the pain started to subside as the blood spread through his system, the racing of his heart slowing till he was only softly panting and it was working at a normal pace again.

He opened his eyes a minute later and let out loud painful groan, coughing, the taste of blood in his mouth. Shit… it tasted… yeah, he had a _problem._

“Thistle?” Branch’s voice was filled with concern. “Are you okay? What happened? Can you speak?”

Thistle suddenly gasped. “Did you _see_ how fast you were going?! I’ve never seen a vampire go _that fast!”_ he cried excitedly throwing his hands in the air.

Branch’s expression instantly became furious.

“Here I am worrying if you’re fucking hurt and all you can say is that I’m a little faster than you?! Are you fucking _serious_?!” he cried. “I thought you were _dying!”_

“Oh…” Thistle paused, looking up. “I… kind of was? You know, cardiac arrest?”

“WHAT THE FU—” Branch gripped his head, “ARE YOU STILL—DO YOU NEED A HOSPITAL? HOSPITAL, THISTLE? YES, NO? ROSE? I’M GETTING ROSE,” he made to get up but Thistle grabbed his arm, yanking him back down.

“Branch! Calm down!” Thistle suddenly yelled. “I’m fine! Chill! I just needed another pill and don’t you _dare_ tell Rose! She will _kill_ me!”

“Better her figuratively killing you than you literally killing yourself, you dumbass.”

“No, she might _literally_ kill me,” he coughed pulling himself up to a sitting position and letting Branch go. He proceeded to wiping his mouth and chin with his forearm. “Sorry, I got caught up in the race and exceeded my physical limit. Stupid body,” he muttered smearing more blood off with his thumb.

“No fucking duh, you might be on vampire blood but you’re not a vampire, it's no wonder I’m faster,” Branch growled.

“Actually,” Thistle corrected looking up at him seriously. “I wasn’t kidding. You’re the first vampire to outrace me and I’ve chased _a lot_ of vampires. Even Guy who is about my speed if not faster when I’m running my normal speed, otherwise I’m also faster than him.”

Branch blinked. He didn't know how to reply to that.

“Sorry, I scared you,” Thistle sighed apologetically. “I just couldn’t believe it and I wanted to see just how fast you could go and if I could catch up. Obviously, I couldn’t,” he smirked proudly looking up at his brother with glowing eyes.

Branch felt his chest warm and he smiled back.

“I… thank you?”

“I’m still a dumbass, though?” Thistle chuckled.

“Duh. You fucking burst your heart!”

“Ah! Not yet I didn’t or I’d be dead,” he corrected with a chuckle. “Just a mild arrhythmia.”

“Mild, yeah, my ass,” Branch muttered to himself.

Thistle smirked and he wasn’t going to argue. He looked down and saw his scattered pills and frowned. Hmm… three, that was definitely more than the usual limit, just right there on the mark.

Branch glanced down at the mess of dropped pills in the dirt and grimaced.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to… make a mess.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Thistle brushed off reaching over and picking up the bottle and started to pluck up the pills and toss them in. “But seriously, please don’t tell Rose. Three pills usually is the start of an overdose and if she finds out about this little heart episode, she’ll murder me.”

“...Got it. No telling Rose. And you need to fucking rest, like you just had a fucking heart attack—,” Branch looked around, squinting and sniffing the air. He grinned. “My bunker isn’t far away, we can walk there and be there in five minutes.”

“Really?” Thistle looked up surprised and sniffed the air for a moment. “And don’t worry so much, the blood healed the internal damage. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me,” he assured.

“Not the first— _Ugh!_ ” His brother seriously seemed out to kill himself. “You shouldn’t have said the word ‘overdose’,” Branch grumbled, getting up and offering a hand to Thistle.

“Just wait a second,” Thistle grumbled still picking up pills. “Do you know how hard these are to make? I only have so many on hand.”

“You can always have my blood you know,” Branch suggested.

“Not that easy, bro,” Thistle corrected as he plucked up the last pills. “And drinking fresh vampire blood should only be a last resort sort of thing, like if I’m dying from something the pills can’t heal fast enough without overdosing or I’m in a tight fight where I can get killed.”

“Oh…”

Thistle closed the bottle and looked up and finally took Branch’s hand. Branch easily yanked Thistle up to his feet, wincing and letting out a hiss as it strained his injured shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Thistle asked immediately.

“Just hit a damn tree when I tried to stop,” Branch muttered reaching up to rub his shoulder as he started to lead the way to the bunker.

“Ha! And you call me a dumbass. Don’t even know how to control your speed, we’ll have to work on that,” Thistle teased. “Want one?” he offered shaking the little black bottle.

Branch eyed it, debating between the limited amount Thistle had and the mention of Thistle’s addiction… His shoulder did hurt pretty badly and… Thistle could probably get more.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Thistle assured popping a red capsule out. “Plus it will delay your hunger, you should be starting to get hungry by tomorrow or the day after, this will delay it at least a day.”

“Thanks,” he said gratefully as they walked side by side and he took the pill and swallowed it. As he felt it hit his stomach it dissolved and sent a little heat into his body, the pain quickly subsiding and the spark in his throat vanished. Branch rolled his arm and found it perfectly fine again.

“That… really works. What happens if you overdose?”  he asked curiously, concerned.

Thistle shrugged keeping the modest pace. “It depends, because it's made with a special chemical to do several things so it can lead to vomiting, madness, bloodlust as in literal bloodlust not to just to kill but to drink blood. And since like you said earlier, I’m not a vampire, you can image a human body not taking that so well.”

Branch nodded, making a face as he pictured those possibilities.

”And in worse case scenario instead of healing the Hunter and causing regeneration, it outright kills us because the chemical in it make our bodies go haywire. Usually by stopping the heart or causing internal bleeding and tearing because the body goes into shock from taking in the vampire blood and chemical in so frequently and in such high dosages. You see, using these pills since the age of ten leaves permanent side effects in our bodies, they literally modify our bodies so they can adapt and fully absorb and use the blood.”

“Since ten?! And you drink more than you should _on purpose_?!” Branch yelled suddenly halting and he glared at Thistle. “You really are a dumbass!”

Thistle huffed rolling his eyes and kept walking. “Now you sound like Rose.”

“Uh, maybe because she’s right?” Branch snapped sarcastically.

“Calm down, Branch,” he huffed and kept walking, tossing the bottle up and down in the air. “I’m fine. In fact, no Hunter I know of takes so well to the blood pills as I do. Did you see how fast I— _HEY!_ ”

Branch’s hand had swiped over and caught the bottle in midair and now he was tucking it into his pant’s pocket. 

“You can have ‘em back after you rest,” he snapped. “In fact, you can have them back tomorrow, you already went over your limit for today.”

“What the hell?” Thistle glared perplexed and with disbelief. “What are you now? My warden?”

“Someone has to be,” Branch huffed. “Obviously, you're too irresponsible.”

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Thistle replied rudely. “I’m the _older_ brother.”

“Then act like it!” Branch glared.

Thistle’s face scrunched up and he started to mutter under his breath incoherently, sticking his hands in his pockets and making Branch smirk.

“Such a pain in the ass…”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Why are you being like this?” Thistle growled irritated. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Because I don't want you to fucking die, you idiot!” Branch blurted out angrily.

Thistle froze, staring and Branch paused meeting his gaze confused.

“You…” Thistle sighed, a sad smile on his face. “You don’t want me to die?”

“Of course not, you dork! I just got you back, isn’t that fucking obvious?” he griped impatiently.

A shamed look crossed Thistle's face and he looked away for a moment. Branch frowned and looked ahead, seeing the bunker in sight.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around Branch and yanked him in, making him gasp. He tensed as he plastered to a hard chest, his face pressed into Thistle’s shoulder, his scent suffocating him. Branch was frozen, wide-eyed as arms trembled around him and a head was resting against his shoulder.

“W—what are you doing?” he finally managed to mumbled out stiffly.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Thistle countered, his voice cracking. “Just shut up and let me hug you for a minute.”

Branch fell silent, taking an unsteady breath through his mouth, a slight spark igniting in throat again in response to the smell, especially of blood and the sound of a heart so close to his ears. He swallowed hard and ignored it, closing his eyes. Without thinking his arms wrapped around Thistle's torso, hugging him back and he let out a trembling breath of relief.

His mind flashed back, remembering the familiarity of his brother’s protective hugs when they had been children. They had never been big huggers, but… he had never refused a hug from his brother...or Poppy for that matter. But her hugs had been entirely different and typically forced on him by surprise before he could even push her off.

A faint smile tugged at Branch’s lips as he recalled those small details as his forehead rested against his brother’s shoulder.

The arms let him go with a steady sigh but Branch suddenly hugged back harder, making Thistle grunt in surprise.

“Don’t crush me now,” Thistle chuckled.

“Sorry,” Branch mumbled, loosening his grip a little. “I just… hang on for a minute, please,” he asked quietly.

Thistle said nothing, his arms coming back around Branch’s shoulders but he wasn’t shaking anymore.

Branch smiled a little, enjoying the comforting contact a little while longer before he let out a long breath and let go.

“Alright, enough mushy hugging before I bite you,” he muttered with a faint smile giving his brother a light shove.

Thistle chuckled and let him go. “You’re the one that got mushy on me this time.”

“Shut up,” Branch replied softly, still smiling as they started walking again.

They fell into silence after that as they approached the bunker.

Thistle paused, sniffing the air curiously and Branch smirked.

“This is it,” he introduced excitedly, rushing up to the bushes hiding the entrance.

With wide eyes Thistle looked around and followed Branch.

“You have it well hidden,” he commended and Branch grinned wider as he pushed the branches aside and led them down the steps.

 


	20. No Scotch when Needed

 

As Branch opened the door, the cool air breezed out and he stepped in feeling actually pretty giddy to show off.

Thistle stepped in and as the door was closed he paused looking up at the steel door frame. He spotted a familiar symbol, old and faded but still recognizable and paused.

“Wow, Branch… you don’t recognize this symbol?” he asked pointing up to emblem embossed out of the rusting metal.

Branch glared up at the weird symbol. A large V impressed over an oak tree with branches that looked like deer antlers curling in toward oak leaves and four small acorns evenly spaced out between the spaces of the emblem.

“No? Should I?” he asked confused.

Thistle snorted and rolled his eyes, smirking. “That’s the crest of the Hunter’s Order, Branch,” he started off and pulled up his balled up hand, showing off a thick ring on his middle finger with the same emblem on its face. “The ‘V’ is for _venator_ , ‘hunter’ in Latin after the original Roman Hunters that established our order. The oak and deer antlers are the sacred symbols of Diana, goddess of the hunt. You don’t think our last name is ‘Oak’ as one of the oldest Hunter families just because, do you?” he chortled.

Branch stared up at the door frame then at Thistle's ring, amazed and shocked. He then looked back at the etching on the wall then back to Thistle, worried.

“Wait… are you saying this is a Hunter’s base?” he gulped.

“It used to be,” Thistle nodded looking down the hallway. “But establishments like this were abandoned and lost years ago for more modern bases. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” he promised.

Branch let out a sigh of relief and relaxed again.

“Okay well… anyway, this is… where I live, I guess,” Branch said, leading the way down the incline to the hallways where his room was.

Thistle looked curiously around, pausing by open doors to peer inside before catching up with Branch.

“This is my workroom,” Branch said, opening the door and turning on the light to let Thistle see.

Looking over his brother’s shoulder he saw a bookshelf with contemporary books, a lot of guides, a few poetry books which surprised Thistle a bit, a few classic novels, a desk, hide, a closed laptop, tools neatly organized…

“You’ve really got yourself a collection here,” he grinned, nodding in approval as he saw all the signs of his brother’s resourcefulness over the years.

“Yeah… the library books were kind of hard to steal, I was about ten before I finally got the guts to try to break into the library for guide books. Before, I was only relying on what I’d learned from you at boy scouts.”

Thistle smirked thinking back on that. “I remember that, that was actually fun times…” he chuckled before his voice lost its happy edge.

“Remember the pie incident?” Branch asked suddenly. “Our scout leader was so angry.”

“Oooh,” Thistle scrunched up his face and bit his lip as he tried not to laugh. “Yeah, I remember that, especially since we had to pick up the mess after that.”

“I kept thinking how it was worth it.” He paused. “It’s kinda funny though, that had been Poppy’s idea to start a pie fight. She wasn’t even… you know, a boy scout and that moment went down in history.”

“Neither was Rose,” Thistle laughed. “She dragged her along to use her damn aim and throwing arm against everyone. Poppy is more mischievous and clever than she lets on.”

“...yeah,” Branch grunted, his mind suddenly thinking back to the card she’d given him. “And… and nice. But she’s still fucking annoying,” he said, meaning to sound irritated but it came out soft.

Thistle smiled knowingly, glancing at him. “She was your best friend. I was kind of jealous,” he admitted with a chuckle.

“ _Was._ Oh fuck—,” Branch straightened and looked at Thistle desperately, “She’s visiting again tonight! Can you _please_ convince her to not visit me? She doesn’t know where I live but I can’t stop her from entering the forest and hiding doesn't do any good because she’ll just wander the woods till some mountain lion eats her and—,”

“I don’t think she’s going to listen, Branch, that girl is pretty stubborn,” Thistle huffed, irritated himself. “It’s like she doesn’t fucking believe it when we tell her you’re still dangerous. I could show her a snarling werewolf and she’d probably try to pet the damn thing.”

“Exactly!!!” Branch threw his hands in the air. “She’s gonna get herself fucking _killed!!_ ”

“I know,” Thistle grumbled worried. “That is if Rose doesn’t kill her out of frustration first. But that’s also why she gave her the blood poisoners.”

“At least she takes those regularly,” he snarled. “But no, the first night she was out here she chased me around trying to give me a fucking _card!_ I didn’t—I _still_ don’t know what to say to that!”

“She… said you liked it?” Thistle echoed confused, raising a brow.

Branch frowned, bewildered.

“...I crushed it under my foot in front of her face,” he said. “I was trying to… get her to leave me alone. Did she really fucking tell you that? Geez.”

“Yeah, she texted me to tell me you were alright and stuff… Huh, I wonder what else she lied about to me?” Thistle contemplated bothered but then eyed his brother shrewdly. “...that was… kind of cold of you, not that I don’t get it,” he added quietly.

Branch sighed a little guiltily.

“I won’t deny it _was_ a nice card,” he muttered under his breath. “But she can’t be chasing me around all the time. Like, what if I get hungry again and she’s just standing right there?! I could bite her fucking head off!”

“She’ll taste like shit and you’ll snap out of it when your body is trying to throw up,” Thistle mentioned. “But no, I get it. I’ll try to see what I can do, I think I scare her a bit,” he chortled.

“...Didn’t Poppy hug a guy in zombie makeup once at Halloween?” Branch recalled. “I don’t think anything scares her.”

Thistle made a lame expression. “I think that’s an understatement now that you mention it,” he agreed. “The girl is fearless, not exactly what I would call smart all the time.”

Branch grunted, crossing his arms.

“I think… the only way she’ll believe us is if she actually…” Thistle trailed off making a face. “If she actually sees what _real_ monsters are actually capable of.”

Branch looked up, surprised.

“Are you asking me to rip a deer’s head off in front of her?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, she won’t buy it if it’s you because she’s convinced you’re good, which you are, but that makes the point moot to try to scare her with you… No, I mean… something bad trying to kill her,” he sighed troubled.

“...Okay, so basically she won’t realize the danger she’s in until it’s inches from her face. Right. Yeah, that’s Poppy,” Branch mumbled.

“Unfortunately,” Thistle grumbled. “And like hell Rose is going to let her get in a situation like that if she can help it. I don’t want to scare her like that either, but I honestly think she’ll insist otherwise till it happens. Which can, considering the danger we are discovering so far in this town. One of her friends is a damn werewolf.”

“ _What?!”_ Branch snapped his head up to look at Thistle, panicked. “You— _what?!?_ ”

“Yup,” Thistle replied impassively. “A werewolf. Rose is meeting him today along with the banshee. She’s visiting Poppy right now.”

“Is that safe?” Branch asked.

Thistle frowned, eyeing Branch as he nodded. “So long as there is no full moon, werewolves are basically humans with better sense and higher stamina.”

“You said Creek was the Pureblood, right?” Branch muttered.

Thistle nodded seriously. “He is.”

Branch bit his lip worried.

“...is it a Pureblood thing to have terrible clothes choices? Because the guy always wears these disgusting yellow pants.”

Thistle frowned perplexed. “No…? I mean… gaudy is gaudy, you don’t need to be a supernatural to have bad taste.”

“And he’s always hovering around Poppy, maybe that’s like the guard dog protective thing. I hated that,” Branch snarled to himself.

Thistle made a face, his nose scrunching up into a devious smirk. “Branch, just _hoooow_ long have you been stalking Poppy, hm?”

“I—what?! I haven’t been stalking her!” Branch cried defensively. “I just—you know, sometimes when I was in town, I… you know, I happened to see her pass by. And observed. That’s all.”

“Riiiiiiiight,” Thistle drawled, nodding unconvinced.

“She’s an old friend, so what if I wanna keep tabs on her to make sure she’s safe?” Branch crossed his arms.

“I thought you said she ‘ _was_ ’ a friend,” Thistle snickered.

“That’s what I said.”

“Right,” Thistle chortled holding down a bigger laugh. “Branch has a cruuuush~!” he sang suddenly stepping back with a wide toothy grin as he used the same tease he had when they were kids.

Branch’s jaw dropped and he felt his face heat up.

“I—DON’T HAVE A—Thistle, I’m not seven I don’t _have a fucking crush, you asshole!”_ He swiped at his brother angrily but Thistle stepped back even further, cackling.

“Suuuuure you don’t!” he laughed suddenly breaking into a run down the hallway to get away.

“What the hell makes you think I have a crush on Poppy?!” Branch cried, chasing after him. “Wasn’t I just practically _insulting_ her?”

“You’re blushing, bro! And insulting? That’s when you _know_ you’ve got it baaaad!” he called.

“I do _not!_ ” Branch caught up to him and jammed his fist into his shoulder, earning a yelp from Thistle. “She’s irritating, she’s _annoying_ , she never shuts up, she’s too blind to see when she’s in danger, she fucking sees everything as a goddam rainbow and—,” he cut off, waving his arms. “ _I do not have a crush on her!”_

Thistle had fallen forward with the punch which had been too hard, his face plastering against the floor and he groaned. He pushed himself up with his arms, still on the floor and gave his brother a lazy glare. “You’re right,” he grumbled. “You don’t have a crush on her, you’re in love,” he said sarcastically.

“That better be a joke. Because I’m not, now stop talking about it,” Branch snarled.

Thistle rolled his eyes. “Still so sensitive,” he sighed.

“Shut. Up.”

“Sure. _After_ you apologize for trying to break my left shoulder!” Thistle snapped.

Branch blinked and then flushed, embarrassed. “Sorry,” he said, reaching out his hand for Thistle to grab. “I… got carried away.”

Thistle grabbed his brother’s hand and a devilish smirk suddenly took his face. He suddenly yanked down hard, tossing his little brother on the floor and suddenly grabbing him in a headlock.

“You little brat!” he growled playfully making a mess of the long hair with his knuckles.

“GAH—,” Branch tried to squirm away, but Thistle’s grip was like iron. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! UNCLE! NOW GET OFF!”

Laughing, Thistle let him go and leapt to his feet. “Hah! I haven’t had this much fun in years! Thistle, still is the reigning champion!” he hollered with glee.

Branch suddenly jumped into the air and grabbed his brother’s shoulders from behind, tackling him by surprise.

“GAH! The FUCK!” he gasped as the weight pinned to his back.

“I’ve spent the last twelve years tackling down huge bucks, you’re not a challenge!” Branch laughed, pushing his feet off the hallway wall and causing Thistle to stumble.

“You fucking cheap little shit!” Thistle roared, his hand yanking up and suddenly grabbing Branch’s wrists. “And I’ve been hunting vampires over five years now! If you think you can toss me around you got another thing coming!”

“First, take it back!”

“Take what back?!”

“Take it back that I’m in love, because I’m not!” Branch laughed.

“Hell no!” Thistle bellowed and suddenly he fell forward into a dive, rolling and squishing Branch on his back before landing in a crouch.

Branch let out a loud grunt and was left lying on the ground, stunned. He slowly lifted his head to look at Thistle, eyes wide.

“Okay, you win,” he groaned, pushing himself up to his elbows.

“Hehe, that easy? You give up too easily! I didn’t even pin you down yet,” Thistle said with a wide smile turning around.

“I wasn’t….” Branch looked away. His cheeks were pink again. “Wasn't talking about the wrestling,” he said so quietly that had Thistle not been on the vampire blood, he wouldn’t have heard it.

Thistle frowned, suddenly losing his air of playfulness. He reached down and grabbed Branch under his arms and yanked him up to his feet.

“I get it,” he said quietly and flickered a piece of dirt off Branch’s messy long hair. “I won’t tease you about it if you really don’t want to talk about it,” he promised.

Branch sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s fine it’s… just one of those things I don’t even want to admit to myself,” he said truthfully.

Thistle paused, casting his eyes away before his big hand landed on Branch’s shoulder. “I used to have the same problem… with Rose,” he admitted a moment later with a sullen sigh.

“At least you actually have somewhat of a chance with her.”

“No. I don’t,” Thistle grounded out letting go of Branch’s shoulder. “It’s the law and we made a vow for life as Hunters, as partners. After a while…” he paused looking away. “I realized my feelings were not strong enough to even break the rules or change them,” he grumbled sourly, shrugging. “I love her but… not enough to make a difference, or to even… try,” he sighed a long defeated breath. “Plus I don’t need to give our dad a reason to send her away.”

Branch watched him long and carefully, not sure what he could say. What would even be comforting? He could relate and yet not relate. He finally picked something to comment on.

“Geez… is Dad’s only goal in life to make yours miserable or something?” he asked exasperated.

“I’ve been asking myself that since I was seven,” Thistle replied quietly turning his eyes down the old hallway.

“Well shit…” Branch looked away, but then looked back up at Thistle. “You know—I mean… About Poppy—I might’ve known, I always…” he trailed off. “Never mind.”

“You say that a lot, finish a damn thought for once,” Thistle said gruffly.

“It’s just hard to explain!” Branch cried. “I don’t think I love her in _that_ sense but hell I haven’t stopped thinking about her in twelve years! Am I in love with her? Or am I just remembering how good of a friend she was? Or is it both? Or—,” he cut himself off again with a frustrated growl.

Thistle stared at Branch unsure of what he could say, of what would even be helpful.

“I get it,” he shrugged. “That’s love. You think about the people you love whether you want to or not. Like me for example, I was never able to get you out of my head even after twelve years, and I thought you were _dead_ , it’s just that simple,” he sighed tiredly. “And then there is…” he paused, thinking about Guy for a moment and their lost rekindling friendship.

“So basically what you’re saying is that I’m screwed,” Branch deadpanned.

“Basically,” he agreed.

“Well, shit.”

“Shit,” Thistle repeated. “That’s the best word for it.”

“...What caught you on though that I might be in love with Poppy?” Branch asked, grumbling.

“Because you and I are _a lot_ alike,” he jested partially amused.

“That’s it? It wasn’t something I said?”

“That’s it. You don’t have to say anything, Branch. Actions speak louder than words and anyone that saw you two as kids probably had their money already in that pot.”

“...Yeah, well, like it can even have a chance of happening now,” he mumbled pathetically. “She’s got a boyfriend, well for now, and I’m an undead vampire who’ll suck her blood out when given the chance. I can’t, or shouldn’t, even be her friend.”

Thistle made a hard face, quiet for a moment. As he looked back up there was fire in his blue eyes. “That shouldn’t stop you from trying, Branch. From at least being her friend, I mean. Is that going to stop you from trying to be my brother?”

“Well...no, but…” Branch tried to find the words to argue, to mention that their situation was entirely different.

“And if that not enough to convince you then just know, I’m going to find you a cure, Branch. Even if it kills me.”

Branch looked at him incredulously.

“Cure?! How?! I thought vampirism was uh. _Permanent?_ No going back? Undead forever?”

“There are legends…” Thistle said slowly, his voice in a low snarl. “I’ll fucking find it. I’ll fucking find it for you were dad failed to find it for mom,” he spat starting to walk down the hallway again.

Branch balked.

“What the fuck? What do you mean find it for mom?!” Branch stood up and walked after Thistle, “What the hell are you talking about?!”

Thistle froze, tensing. “Shit. Sorry...uh…” he glanced at Branch uncomfortably. “I… don’t ask me to tell you right now, Branch,” he begged quietly.

“But—wait, are you saying...are you saying she was like—,” he swallowed. “Are you saying she was like _me?”_

“That she got turned? Yes,” he said flatly.

Branch froze, staring. He slowly looked down at his hands, then back up to his brother, eyes wide.

“I… I have so many questions,” he whispered. “Like why don’t I remember this? When did it happen?”

Thistle groaned, his eyes already stormy with pain. “Do you really want me to tell you? _Right now?_ ”

“...Well, yes but…”

“Then find me somewhere I can sit because I will collapse,” he sighed, ashamed.

Branch nodded mutely and turned, leading him to his bedroom. Branch opened the door and flicked on the light, grabbing the chair and turned it around before sitting on it.

“You can take the bed,” he said, propping one of his feet on the chair.

Thistle looked at the old bed and as he sat down it groaned horribly and his eyes widened.

“Shit, Branch! Please tell me you haven’t been sleeping on this hunk of junk for twelve years.”

“Do you know how hard it is to steal a mattress? Really hard. So yeah, I’ve been using that. It’s better than nothing,” Branch shrugged.

Thistle scowled and glared down at the bed. “I’m getting you a new fucking bed,” he growled. “Or better yet just move in with me, you won’t have to deal with this anymore and I can make sure no one discovers you till I can find you a cure or not,” he said stubbornly.

Branch stared surprised for a moment. “...are you sure?”

“Dead serious,” Thistle grumbled.

Branch glanced around, frowning.

“...I dunno, this place… I’ve grown really fond of it and it's kept people safe from me,” he muttered.

“Just think about it,” Thistle said unhurried and unworried. “It’s not like I’d move you into the middle of town. I’d get a cabin somewhere in the woods or in the mountains around here or hell anywhere else, it doesn’t matter to me. Want to live in Alaska? Let’s move to fucking Alaska,” he laughed.

Branch smirked.

“I’ll think about it,” he promised. “But.. .now can you tell me… um,” he gulped, uncomfortable, and timidly he asked “How did mom turn? What happened?”

Thistle sighed and ran his finger through his hair, ripping out a bunch of strands. “I really thought I’d have a drink for this shit, so don’t make fun of me if I start crying. Because I probably will, alright?”

“I won’t make fun of you, not for something like this,” Branch shook his head. “Now tell me what happened… _Please.”_

Thistle folded his hands and kept his gaze on the ground looking at the hair he ripped out, his scalp burning with small cuts.

“Dad and Mom… Mom was a Hunter like him, not his official partner, but… They worked together anyways along with their other partner. They went on a mission together and left us with grandma like usual, except...things went wrong and she got turned. Dad never told me how,” he sighed and he looked up at Branch. “Do you remember how he came to pick us up from grandma’s? You just turned five and they had missed your birthday. Dad told us Mom was sick and we couldn’t disturb her, remember that? That we couldn’t go near her room.”

“I…” Branch squinted, trying to think back. But he couldn’t, like something was blocking his memory. He shook his head. “I...don’t remember that, no.”

“Hm…” Thistle grunted and continued. A sad smile took his lips. “We got home and...we wanted to make her get well cards. Dad was busy, ignoring us and working in his lab, you know that one with the metal door he never let us into?”

“Metal… I think I remember that metal door,” Branch nodded slowly. “I used to think monsters lived down there.”

Thistle let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, sometimes you’d come crying into my bed when you thought you heard something coming from downstairs at night. I had to hug you till you fell asleep.”

“Don’t make fun of me, I was terrified!”

“I wasn’t making fun of you, Branch,” Thistle frowned. “Far from it… I wanted… to protect you, like Mom always told me to.”

Branch gulped, glancing down and nodded once.

“Anyways,” Thistle continued and his voice caught, getting drier and harder to speak. “I… I stole dad’s key and… I opened the door to mom’s room,” he whispered his eyes growing wide, haunted. “Mom was in there… chained to the bed. And… her red eyes turned on us,” he swallowed, his hands starting to shake.

Branch was stiff, staring, hardly breathing. Some terrible sense of anticipation washing over him.

“We knew about vampires but we had never _seen_ one before her,” Thistle whispered, one of his hands coming up to clutch his face. “We were so scared, and you were so worried… You rushed in and I was frozen. Mom was… calling out to us, telling us to get away. And when you were already half way through the room I suddenly snapped and chased after you, telling you to stop. B—but… it was too late,” he choked, tears suddenly running down his cheeks.

A memory, faint and hardly even there, sparked in the back of Branch’s mind. Red eyes—different than the ones in his nightmares, different than the ones that had turned him. These were wild, but… familiar.

Thistle's voice pitched, daring to turn into a wail. “She grabbed you! She… sank her teeth into your neck and I—I… I screamed, I could hear you crying and... I ran up to her and I tried to pull you away but she suddenly let you go and bit by arm,” he coughed, swallowing down a hard sob, his hand absently touching his left forearm.

Branch swallowed. He rubbed his own arm, a faint tingling reminiscent to when he’d been bit himself that one day. And then he lifted his hands to his neck… Had he really been bitten there? By his own mother?

“I fell back and I was crying, begging her to stop but...she was wild, starving…” he trailed off, horror haunting his eyes. “And the gun… was right there on the nightstand…” he breathed.

Branch looked up, paling.

“I—I—I didn’t think, I just grabbed it and… shot her,” he whispered guiltily. “You… had stopped moving and she dropped you, her shoulder bleeding… She looked… so shocked, Branch, staring at me. Then staring at you in her arms… I was so scared I just… stared at her, shaking, crying, and she started to cry. I dropped the gun and ripped you out of her arms and she didn’t try to stop me…” he wheezed, looking up at Branch, his face a mess.

Thistle hiccupped a moment then let out a painful sound, wounded.

“That’s when Dad came in, yelling at me...and he yanked us out and all I could hear wasn’t even my own crying but Mom begging Dad to kill her.”

Branch felt tears streaming down his own face, breaking free from his unblinking gaze.

“Dad put us in the living room and he hooked you up to a transfusion and bandaged your neck...and he told me to stay put, telling me to take care of you. That… you were lucky… that if I hadn't shot… I should have listened to him in the first place!” he screamed angrily, his chest heaving.

Branch swallowed.

“Did… what happened to Mom?” he whispered.

Thistle shook his head, squeezing his eyes tight. “I didn’t listen to him a second time that day… I… followed after him to Mom’s room. I...” he sucked in a sharp breath. “I followed him and the door was cracked, she was crying, still starving… And Dad… hugged her, the gun in his hand and he pointed it up… I still remember that sound so clearly, Branch. She sunk her fangs into his neck… and… I watched her drink till… suddenly her head was blown clean off, the blood… her body shattering into ash…” he sobbed, choking, letting out an ugly cry. “I ran, I ran back to you… and Dad never came out to check on us. I was so scared, crying, holding your hand and apologizing, begging you not to die too… Promising you I’d always protect you, that I wouldn’t fail you again, to forgive me… to please come back,” he let out an unsteady breath, a broken sound past his dry mouth.

Thistle was shaking, his body raked by heavy shudders as he tried to control his breathing. Trying to slow his crying.

Branch didn’t know what to do, he was frozen. Staring. Trying to piece this nightmare in his head. A flash of a badly drawn card falling to the floor went through his mind’s eye...

“You… you finally woke up a week later,” Thistle sighed some moments later. “You had… no idea of what had happened, no memory. I was so happy and relieved that you were okay, I didn’t care about anything else… I hugged you till you complained that you couldn’t breathe,” he smiled faintly, tears still running down from his eyes. “And Dad… told us Mom had died of sickness and you looked so confused and sad...and I couldn’t tell you the truth because I was… _so afraid you’d hate me_ for what I did, for what I caused and I wanted to protect you from the truth too, I didn’t want you to remember Mom like that, trying to kill you and... Dad, didn’t even give us a minute to breathe. He packed up our things and...that’s how we ended up living with grandma.”

Thistle paused, looking up with torment and regret, hugging his own arms over his chest. “I’m… _so sorry_ , Branch. I… I almost got you killed. Because of me you almost _died_ ,” he choked out lividly, self-hate and guilt suddenly burning in his eyes as his nails dug into his own skin, blood leaking as he pierced himself. “It was _my fault_. If I had just listened, if I had just protected you like I should have—,” he croaked, loathingly. “Mom wouldn’t have bitten you, you wouldn’t have almost been drained dry, and she wouldn’t have died sad! Maybe Dad would have found a way for her to live with us and none of this mess might have happened afterwards! Maybe you wouldn’t have been turned! But I screwed it all up! **_It’s all my fault!_** ” he shrieked suddenly yanking his nails clean across his skin, slicing it, shredding it till blood riveted down his arms.

Thistle crumpled into his own knees, crying, blaming, cursing himself under his own breath as he heaved for air.

Branch automatically moved for his brother, and was off the chair in an instant. He yanked Thistle’s hands off himself and gripped them hard, ignoring the smell of blood as he stared at his brother with wide eyes. Understanding eyes.

“It’s not your fucking fault, Thistle,” Branch said quietly. “You can’t blame yourself for this… you—you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t blame yourself.” He wanted to say so much more but he wasn’t sure what to say. What _could_ one say to that?

Thistle let out a hoarse sobbing laugh, his eyes bloodshot. “It’s… kind of hard not to do that when it’s been chewing me from the inside out since you were five.”

“Well don’t,” Branch growled. “And you can’t fucking blame yourself for my ‘death’ or my turning either. That was my fault. Don’t blame yourself for that.”

“How can you blame yourself for that?” Thistle asked suddenly, angrily past his tears. “That wasn’t your fault! You were seven!”

Branch swallowed. He slowly released his brother’s hands and sat down on the bed next to him, gripping the edges.

“Yeah, it was my fault,” he muttered. “Grandma fucking died because of me.”

Thistle stared confused, rubbing his palm against his eyes to get the tears out. “How? I—I don’t see it.”

“I... went into an area I— _we_ had been told was off limits. You know… that one bad neighborhood? Yeah, I rode my bike there, I was… too… I wasn’t paying attention. And then I got lost, but luckily grandma had given her phone to me so I called her and she came to pick me up… and…” he screwed his eyes shut. “Then _she_ appeared. I don’t even know how it happened but one moment we were standing at the curb and Grandma was scolding me, and the next we were in the woods. And I was watching Grandma being—,” he cut himself off, unable to say the words. He drew in a shaky breath. “I watched her… die. In front of me. It was so—sudden. And I couldn’t move an inch.”

Thistle’s face was frozen with shock, then plain anger as he twisted his mouth in a scowl.

“And then that vampire advanced on me,” Branch continued hoarsely. “I tried to get away from her but she bit my arm and—and I bit her back. That’s how… that’s how I got her blood in me. But biting her shocked her, I guess, and she let go… and I ran. But all I know is that… had I not been fucking stupid and ignored Grandma’s warning, none of this would have happened and _she_ would be alive right now.”

“Branch, listen to me,” he sighed stiffly. “It is _not_ your fault.”

“You don’t get to say that when you don’t believe your own—,”

“SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE! I’M TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!” Thistle spat, seething between his teeth and Branch fell silent, gritting his teeth. Thistle took a few moments to calm himself, but the rage didn’t die from his eyes. “You, me, and grandma were targets. Targets to hurt Dad.”

Branch slowly turned to Thistle, eyes wide. Confused.

“There was a gathering, twelve years ago,” Thistle continued darkly. “An annual feast for the highest ranking vampires in the states and around the world. And all three of us, were on the menu. They were _hunting_ us. I got lucky when Dad sent me to the academy early. The Society didn’t know when or how or where this _Feast_ was even going to happen. But _you and grandma_ were targets. After what happened…” Thistle's face darkened like his voice. “Dad led a purge of Bergen Town, the Hunter’s Order _slaughtered_ hundreds of vampires that day. A lot of the Purebloods got away and the Hunters found… a manifest of all the names of the humans the leeches were ‘inviting,’” he snarled with disgust, “to the Feast. It’s. Not. Your. Fault,” he growled slowly as he turned his cold glare on his brother.

Branch was frozen, holding perfectly still and not even breathing.

“Dad found grandma… but no one ever found your body or half the bodies of the humans that disappeared that year for their disgusting banquet. And all the targets were humans related to Hunters. All of them marked to die.”

“Sh… shit,” Branch whispered hoarsely.

“Shit is right,” Thistle cursed. “Shit is what happened. So I don’t want you to blame yourself! If you hadn’t done what you did… both of you would be dead. Grandma would be sad if she knew you blamed yourself. Because either way...” he swallowed choking on his own voice. “You two would have been captured and killed that night no matter where you had been. Why do you think I blame Dad as much as myself? If you had been with him or with me... Somewhere safe…” he groaned shaking his head.

Branch swallowed.

Thistle sighed, rubbing his temple. “Branch… do you hate me? Do you hate Dad?”

Branch was silent for a moment, staring in disbelief at such a question, before slowly shaking his head.

“No,” he said. “I don’t.”

Thistle had been staring, holding his breath. An immense sense of relief crossed his features and he seemed to relax. “E—even after what I told you about Mom?”

“Hindsight is twenty twenty, Thistle, but there was no way you could have known what was going to happen. You were a kid…”

Thistle hiccupped, a new sob breaking through his chest with new tears. “I… I really need a fucking drink after this. You… do you forgive me, at least?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Branch said immediately, without hesitation. “But if you want to hear me say it, yes. I do. Hell, you could kill the fucking president and I’d still forgive you,” Branch smirked.

Thistle let out a husky laugh, sounding quite distraught. “You’re hopeless, Branch. Man, where’s Poppy when you need her?” he scoffed.

“What, that insane ball of sunshine?” Branch scoffed. “Yeah, I could use some of that sunshine right about now.”

“And a hug, you moron,” Thistle smirked ruefully.

“...I’m still not so sure about her hugs,” Branch muttered honestly. “It’s like being rammed into by a truck.”

Thistle groaned rolling his eyes. “You’re so fucking dense, Branch! _I need the hug_ and if I have to spell it out to you I’m going to punch you.”

“Oh… Fuck. Sorry.” Branch felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment and he lifted his arm awkwardly around his brother.

“Thanks, you dork,” Thistle mocked back, wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulders in return.

“Sorry… I’m not… a hugger,” Branch mumbled.

“No Oak really is,” Thistle scoffed. “Except on occasion.”

“This is probably the most physical contact I’ve had in years, too,” Branch added.

“Not counting the deer?” Thistle smart mouthed.

“That was my dinner. That didn’t count.”

Thistle laughed, his hand moved up and ruffled messy black locks. “Some date you are, go straight to putting them in the ground,” he teased as he rubbed his eyes dry again. “Bet the only romantic lighting was the moonlight.”

“...I am ashamed I understood what you’re implying,” Branch jabbed at him with his elbow. “Are you always this bad?”

“Ha! You should see me when I’m drunk,” he chuckled. “At least you’re not as innocent as I was afraid you were,” he teased letting go of Branch.

“If you’re referring to the _talk…”_ Branch flushed. “I may have… when I was like, eleven… accidentally stolen an adult romance novel once. It… eh, shocked me, to say the least.”

Thistle made a surprised face then started busting a gut and he fell back. But with his height he completely misjudged how far the wall was and smacked his head hard against the concrete wall with a loud…

_THUD!_

“OW! Fuck!” he howled, rubbing his head.

“HA!” Branch cackled, “Dork, there’s a wall there.”

“Shut the fuck up, Branch! I figured as much!” he snapped back shooting a glare at him. “Don’t make me kick your ass or do something embarrassing,” he grinned.

“Yeah you’ve already hurt yourself too many times today, let’s save the butt kicking for later?”

“Deal,” Thistle sighed still rubbing the top of his head. “You know, this is good practice for you,” he mentioned offhandedly.

“Practice? For what?”

“Smelling so much blood and controlling yourself,” Thistle shrugged. “Like this you can learn to ignore it even when you’re hungry.”

“Oh…” Branch looked at Thistle’s hands, “Speaking of, you should probably take care of those… uh. Want… uhm. Spit?”

“If you want to turn me, sure,” Thistle said eyeing him.

“...Wait I thought that—,” Branch flushed, “I thought the venom was just in the fangs? Like a snake? My saliva is venomous, too?!”

“Your saliva _is_ your venom, genius. You’re not a snake. It coats everything in your mouth including your fangs which is how you end up injecting it. Vampires salivate _a lot_ ,” he snorted amused rolling his eyes at the idea of vampires having fangs like snakes, that would make it _so much worse_.

“Fuck, well sorry, I’ve had these assumptions since I was a kid and there hasn’t exactly been someone to tell me otherwise,” Branch chuckled, rubbing his head.

“I’ll teach you everything you need to know,” Thistle promised. “I am sort of an expert after all,” he snorted with derision. “Remember what I told you earlier? That you can hypnotize and erase people’s memories? Some can do it with _just_ their voice but that's pretty rare. I mean each vampire’s ability varies in strength but all vampires have basic hypnotism through their eyes to lure in a human and make them behave while feeding on them and forget about it,” he shrugged.

“I… did not… know that?”

Thistle chuckled. “Not surprised. Did you know most Hunters don’t usually get those kinds of abilities while on vampire blood? Rose can’t do they eye hypnotism and memory erasing, but I can,” he said grinning widely. “She can do something even cooler with her voice though, it’s like a counter ability to hypnotism but really hurts a vampire’s hearing. Well, it hurts anyone’s hearing to be honest and it's also a rare ability among your kind.”

“Damn. What else can I do?” Branch asked. “I realize it’s bad I’m asking you this after being one for twelve years, but… I mean, I never really wanted to try out or discover my abilities,” he said staring down at his own hand. “I was—I _am_ —afraid of myself, I guess.”

“I get that,” Thistle sympathized, patting his back. “Well… that’s the thing. I’m not sure what you _can_ do,” he admitted. “Basic abilities include eye hypnotism, enhanced smelling and hearing, super strength and speed… Purebloods can have some frightening abilities, like shape shifting… like into bats.” He grimaced, a memory returning to him of Creek.

“Bats?” Branch echoed, surprised. “Poppy asked me if I could turn into a bat.”

“Don’t count your stars,” Thistle warned. “Even among Purebloods such gifts are _exceedingly rare_ and it's _even rarer_ for one to pass down their ability to their offspring or to their Turneds,” he grumbled. “I just found out Creek _can_ do it, as well as turning into fucking shadows.”

“What!?” Branch looked up alarmed. “That Pureblood you mentioned? Poppy’s boyfriend?”

Thistle nodded gravely, weaving his fingers together as he stared thoughtfully at the wall. “I got a glimpse of him and his powers in Guy’s mind. It’s… not good. He’s also a sadistic vicious bastard.”

“Wha… what are we going to do?” Branch demanded suddenly surging to his feet and glaring down at his brother. “We can’t leave Poppy alone with—with _that_ Pureblood or whatever, around!”

Thistle sighed, nodding seriously. “We aren’t, we’re telling her the truth tomorrow night. Guy, Rose and me, and I was… hoping you’d come,” he said carefully, looking at Branch. “You need to know these things, too.”

Branch was scowling with determination. “I’ll come,” he decided. “I can’t just stand by and not make sure she’s safe.”

Thistle smiled weakly at his brother and his honest feelings. Then he started to frown. “I’m currently doing research, Guy mention there is something special about her blood…”

“Guy,” Branch suddenly interrupted. “Okay, I admit I’m still a little confused about him. I mean, I know he tried to help me and you said you knew him as a kid but… can we _really_ trust him? Didn’t you say Creek was his Master, and he’s just gonna up and betray him? Just like that?” he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Thistle was solemn. “I trust him. In fact, even with my life. He cares about Poppy just as much as you and the rest of us, he doesn’t want her to be used. So yes, he’s going to betray his Master.”

Branch stared uncertainly into his brother’s serious eyes.

“Why…?” still sounding wary.

“When you enter someone's mind it’s impossible for them to lie to you, to hide their real selves from you and their real feelings and intentions,” he explained slowly. “We even hunted together yesterday, we both needed to kill a rogue vampire in a town just south of here, he watched my back and I watched his… I can’t explain it, but, I trust him. Even with my life. He’s… my friend,” he said softly, a faint smile taking his lips as he looked away.

Branch stared bemused, thoughtful, but quickly decided he trusted his brother’s judgment and let out a grunt. He didn’t quite get it but, the look on Thistle’s face...

“Alright. I’ll trust him, too, then,” he resolved with a single nod.

Thistle grinned, looking relieved and that had Branch staring at him curiously.

“Trust me, he will be a great help. He’s trained for combat even if he’s not a fan of it as far as I can tell, but he’s wicked fast.”

“Huh…” Branch muttered. “Speaking of speed, um, how fast is the average speed of a vampire?” he asked, thinking of what his brother had mentioned earlier.

“Not faster than me,” he pointed out. “Except maybe rarely, high class vampires like Guy who is about my speed. I can usually outrun the average vampire but you saw what happens when I do it for too long.”

“Yeah, thanks for those nightmares, by the way,” Branch smirked.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Thistle snorted waving his hand. “Although, Rose probably would agree with you. Now, back to your saliva, you know how I told you the other day to lick first?”

“...yeah?”

“Well your venom does several different things, like first it’s a numbing agent. So your vic—um… well… so the person doesn’t feel your fangs.”

“ _Oh,”_ Branch thought about that. “I suppose that makes sense…”

“Second, your venom when not catalyzing with vampire blood also releases a chemical reaction of endorphins and dopamine, making it… feel pleasurable, another thing that keeps a human calm and docile. Vampires don’t usually like the taste of fear or adrenaline in blood except the really sadistic ones,” he muttered with disgust.

Branch nodded, absorbing the information easily.

“Okay,” he said, “So… when sucking on a human, lick first. Got it.” He paused, then his cheeks flushed. “That sounds _really_ bad out of context.”

“It does,” Thistle chuckled. “Last, as you already know, it heals, seals up wounds on humans and yourself. And when it catalyzes with vampire blood… well you already know that too, it turns into hellfire. You should be able to smell someone turning… it’s a… very distinct scent that burns even your nose, like a vampire’s scent on steroids but also… burning flesh,” he said scrunching up his face.

Branch shuddered at a memory he had been trying to repress for many years now, but Thistle had brought it back in a mere instant.

“...Yeah, hellfire is a good way to describe it,” he muttered.

Thistle frowned realizing the insensitivity of his words and his hand came up and landed on Branch’s back.

“Um… anything else you want to know right now?” he asked quietly.

Branch thought for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

“No,” he replied. “Not right now…”

Suddenly the walkie-talkie on Branch’s desk crackled to life, and a woman’s voice, tinny and echoing in the small room, spoke.

“ _Thistle? Are you with Branch still? Thistle are you there?”_ Rose asked through the speaker.

Thistle sat up surprised. “That’s odd…” he pulled up and grabbed the radio.

“Hey, Rose,” he answered. “What’s up?”

 _“Why aren’t you picking up your phone? You had me worried._ ”

“Oh… ugh,” he grimaced rubbing the back of neck. “Yeah… I broke it.”

_“.....Do I want to know?”_

“My Dad called,” he replied harshly.

_“.....You’re going to need a lot of scotch aren’t you?”_

“Hehe, you know me well,” he sighed tiredly shaking his head. “Yeah, I definitely need to fry my brain tonight.” He pursed his lips, recalling he was going to meet up with Guy just for that. Looks like they _both_ needed it now.

An ugly sound came from the other end, exasperated.

“Can you get me two new phones if you’re still in town? The usual.”

_“Two?”_

“The other one is for Branch, just use the cash I gave you.”

Branch looked up in surprise.

“But I have the walkie-talkie,” he said, confused. “Why do I need a phone?”

Thistle smacked his hand over Branch’s mouth, shutting him up.

_“Sure, do you want me to get him a uPhone, too?”_

“Yeah, that’s fine. Register under my usual second name, don’t need Dad tracking me.”

“Mmfph!” Branch pushed his brother’s large hand away from his mouth, glaring.

 _“Got it. Hey… um, Thistle,”_ she said awkwardly.

“What is it? The werewolf?”

Branch was instantly on alert, listening intently.

_“No, everything went fine with him. He’s a big and pretty sweet guy, we got nothing to worry about from him… for now. Suki is also interesting,” she said thoughtfully and slowly. “Her ability might be useful to keep an eye out for danger.”_

Thistle nodded but he could tell she wasn’t telling him something. Whatever it was it was something she couldn’t say over the radio. “What do they look like?”

_“Um… Biggie is taller than you? Somehow. He’s rather… wide...  Silvery dyed short hair. Suki looks part Jamaican, darker skin than Guy’s and her hair is a shade of orange, and she’s got a broad hourglass figure… augh! Why are you making me describe them!? Just meet them later yourself.”_

Thistle grunted in agreement. “Alright, is Poppy with you?”

_“Yeah, why?”_

“Never mind, I’ll—”

 _“HI THISTLE!”_ a new excited voice popped up, and there was a sudden scuffling sound and a distant Rose’s voice yelling, “ _Give that back!”_

 _“Anyway, Thistle! Hi, Thistle, and Branch! Hey!”_ Poppy continued, unperturbed and cheerful as ever. “ _So! Rose and I were hoping to throw a little dinner tomorrow with our little meeting, since Branch couldn’t make it that one time. It’ll just be us four—I mean five, you invited Guy, right? Rose said you’d invite him or I can if you haven’t and oh!—at my house—nothing huge, nothing special, but it’s to celebrate Branch being back and all!”_

Thistle made a face, listening and exchanged a confused glance with Branch.

“...Somehow I don’t believe her when she say’s ‘nothing huge’,” Branch muttered to his brother.

Thistle nodded in agreement. “Um…? Yeah I invited Guy, I mean he needs to talk to you so… But a dinner?” he said through the radio not sure what else to say.

_“Well I mean we’re already planning it, so I guess Rose is just gonna have to drag Thistle along, but Branch I really hope you come! I promise nothing spectacular or crazy will happen. It’s… just a little family dinner!”_

Thistle looked skeptical. “And… Rose… agreed to this?” he asked with disbelief.

_“She even bought a sexy dress for it!”_

_“POPPY!”_

_“What?! It IS sex—,”_ the transmission cut off and Thistle could only assume Rose was trying to swipe the radio back again. But he was currently trying to fight the grimace taking his face as he swallowed.

He looked at Branch and with just his eyes asked him what he wanted to do about this. Branch glared for a few minutes before crossing his arms.

“No,” he muttered. “I’m _not_ going to some party, I agreed to a meeting.”

Thistle clicked the walkie-talkie. “Sorry ladies, but we’re skipping town. Gonna go fishing or something.”

 _“I did **not** suffer shopping with Poppy all day so you two can ditch us!_ ” Rose suddenly spat through the speaker and Thistle froze making a petrified expression.

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. Branch took the opportunity and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

“I don’t know about you, but I recall being a very dangerous creature around civilians,” Branch said into the speaker. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

 _“Can it, Branch. If you want to stay alive you better learn to prove your brother right about you and learn to interact with people again,_ ” Rose growled back leaving no room to argue with her steely voice.

Branch slowly turned to his brother, wide-eyed.

“We should fucking run,” Thistle grumbled.

 _“And don’t even think about running! I will catch BOTH your asses!”_ Rose suddenly snarled through the speaker and Thistle tensed and stared at the radio a little horrified but Branch wasn’t holding down the button. _“We got Branch new clothes and crap, I did not suffer shopping so you two can start a cross country race. **You are coming to this stupid party meeting.** ”_

 _“And we got chocolate!”_ Poppy yelled in the background. _“Lots of chocolate!”_

Thistle made a face and took the radio from Branch.

He opened his mouth and again nothing came out. He sighed and his arm went slack.

“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted with a groan to Branch.

“...I would suggest fortifying yourself down here with me but there isn’t really anything to eat or drink,” Branch glanced around.

“You got a sink… I could hunt a deer… but Rose will probably sniff us out.”

“Probably. Also, the sink is broken.”

“Well, shit.” Thistle groaned again.

 _“Oh, Branch!”_ Poppy’s voice crackled to life from the radio. _“Just so you know, Rose says vampires can eat chocolate! Didn’t know if you already knew that, but it's like one of the few things you guys can actually eat that’s not blood and stuff. And we got tons!”_

Branch straightened and looked to Thistle, shocked.

“Wait, is she telling the truth?” he asked. “Vampires— _I_ can eat chocolate?”

Thistle was suddenly grinning and he nodded. “Didn’t know that, did ya? It’s still your favorite, right? I mean it might taste _a little_ different but not a big deal,” he promised.

“I thought I couldn’t eat _anything_ other than blood,” Branch stared straight ahead. “And now I find out… _this?!”_

Thistle chuckled glad to give him this news. “You can also eat meats like steak, rare of course, as well as coffee and alcohol. I also have more vampiric inclined food preferences myself, thanks to the blood,” he shrugged.

“Holy…” Branch glanced down at the walkie-talkie.  

Suddenly… going to that dinner didn’t sound _that bad._

“Sounds like you might be convincing us, ladies,” Thistle sighed into the radio.

Branch frowned, glancing around.

“Um… I might have to… eh. Take a proper bath at your cabin before I go, though. These aren’t the most… pleasant accommodations.”

“...Rose did you get soap while you were out? I forgot to ask,” Thistle asked into the walkie-talkie.

 _“Of course I fucking got soap, how do you think I took a shower this morning?”_ she growled at the stupid question.

“Just checking,” he grumbled at her short tone and looked at Branch with a shrug.

“ _Branch can take a bath or whatever at my place!”_ Poppy spoke up. _“We have his clothes here anyway, plus I was hoping to give him a haircut!”_

“Excuse you—,” Branch grabbed the handheld radio from Thistle, “Excuse you, Poppy, I like my long hair,” he retorted.

_“...Okay we don’t have to cut it but at least **brush** it to get all the tangles out! You look like Tarzan!” _

Thistle couldn’t help it he snorted loudly into his hand and tried to hold down a loud laugh reverberating through his chest. Branch glared at him.

“I’ll brush my own hair, thank you,” Branch snarled.

_“HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR TANGLES? You’re gonna need an army and at least ten gallons of conditioner to get them all out!”_

Thistle couldn’t hold it anymore he doubled over and crashed into the floor laughing, tears at the edges of his eyes.

“Is my hair really _that_ bad?” Branch cried incredulously at his brother.

Thistle wheezed, trying to contain himself but he couldn’t and ended up nodding instead as he laughed.

“Gee, thanks,” Branch muttered, self-consciously lifting a hand to touch the long matted strands that had slipped from the ponytail he usually kept it up in.

Finally, Thistle stopped laughing, pulling himself up and wiping his eyes, but he was still grinning. “Sorry but you _could_ really use a haircut,” he snorted. “I know it grows slowly for vampires but do you really want to look like a homeless hippie?”

Branch glared evenly at his brother.

“...Fine,” he growled. “I’ll get a fucking haircut.” He lifted the walkie-talkie back to his mouth. “You better not shave me bald, Poppy,” Branch said into the speaker.

 _“Pffft, of course not! Have a little faith in me, would ya?”_ Poppy said excitedly.

“So when is this dinner death trap you two are trying to kill us with?” Thistle asked, taking back the handheld transceiver.

_“Tomorrow night at seven!”_

“I’m not going if there’s no beer,” Thistle mentioned with a smirk.

“ _We bought six packs of six-packs,”_ Poppy said immediately. _“Rose said you and she were gonna need it.”_

Thistle rolled his eyes. “She was right and I think Branch will too.”

 _“I honestly don’t know why you guys are making a huge deal out of this, it’s just **dinner,** ”_ Poppy huffed.

“One girl’s picnic is another guy’s nightmare,” Thistle muttered casting a sideways glance at Branch with a knowing look in his blue eyes. Branch snorted in agreement.

 _“And you people call **me** over-dramatic,”_ Poppy joked. _“Well, then it’s decided. See ya guys tomorrow! I’m gonna fake being sick so my friends won’t interrupt us.”_

Thistle put the walkie-talkie down on the bed with a sigh, mulling it over.

“I wonder what are our chances of escaping on the road?”

“...I can’t believe I’m saying this, Thistle, but I want some goddamn chocolate,” Branch grumbled.

“Zero. Got it,” he chuckled hopelessly with defeat, shaking his head.

“At least you get to see Rose in a ‘sexy dress’,” Branch smirked.

Thistle’s face immediately pinched up and he shot a dirty glare at Branch, his face growing red with anger and embarrassment. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Hehe,” Branch looked away. He felt his own cheeks flush with the idea of Poppy cutting his hair, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Oh, hey, Poppy,” Thistle suddenly asked picking up the radio again. “Quick question.”

_“Yeah, chief?”_

“You didn’t happen to buy yourself a sexy cute dress too, did you?” he smirked eyeing Branch with mischief.

 _“THEODORE!”_ Rose voice rang through with rage but he ignore her.

 _“Ooh, as it happened I **did** get this really cute sky blue dress that just fit me **perfectly**!”_ Poppy gushed. _“It’s not as sexy as Rose’s but it was too cute **not** to buy.”_

“Perfect,” Thistle rumbled putting the radio back down, grinning smugly.

“I hate you,” Branch growled, his arms crossed.

“Now we’re even,” he teased back.

“I really, really, hate you,” Branch glared at him. “First Poppy is gonna cut my hair and now she’s gonna wear a fucking dress doing it and— _ugh_ ,” he buried his face in his hands. “You know what, it’s not too late. Let’s hit the road. Run as far away as possible. You wanna go to Alaska? Let’s go to Alaska.”

Thistle chuckled shaking his head. “Too late, that deal is on hold. Now I want to see this. Plus, I want some damn chocolate too,” he admitted.

“Thistle?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to die.”

“You and me both, bro.”

 


End file.
